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On August 24th, I wrote an article entitled ‘J.D. Martinez Making Quick Work of Minor Leagues‘. I was amazed at how well this 20th round pick was hitting in just his second professional season. After hitting .341 with a .407 OBP and .531 SLG, Martinez was named Houston’s Minor League Player of the Year.
Jordan Lyles, at just 19, was named Houston’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Lyles made it all the way to Triple-A in 2010 and over 158.2 innings between Double and Triple-A posted a 3.57 ERA with 137 strikeouts. The young righty was Houston’s first round pick in 2008 and entered the season as the 91st prospect in all of baseball according to Baseball America after posting a 3.24 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and striking out 167 batters in 132.2 innings for Single-A Lexington in the SAL League.
2012 is when I expect both of these players to be factors in Houston. Lyles should join Myers, Rodriguez, Norris, and Happ in the rotation while Martinez moves in for Carlos Lee in left field after the big guy’s contract expires. Can’t wait to watch these two guys develop even more!