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Astros Minor Leagues: Quad Cities Report (25-6)

By Eric Huysman

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The editors at CTH have to apologize to the Quad City River Bandits because we haven’t given you the coverage needed for a 25-6 team. Yes, you read that right, the River Bandits have a .806 winning percentage and are on a 12 game win streak. Here is hoping that I don’t jinx them with this post, but respect has to be given when it is due. I haven’t looked at when most of these prospects were drafted, but I’m sure several of them fall under the Jeff Luhnow umbrella. Let’s catch up with the Astros minor league Class-A team, the River Bandits, while they are stealing the wins in the Midwest League.

Team Offense

The River Bandits as a team have a slash line of .267/ .356/ .402/ .757 in 2015. The rank second in the league in batting average, while ranking first in the other three categories in the slash line. They have scored 153 runs on 137 RBI’s, which they rank 1st in both. while hitting 19 home runs that are tied for second.

Team Pitching

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The River Bandit pitchers have impressive pitching stats so far. They have 25 wins (which ranks first) and six losses (which ranks first). The next team with the fewest losses has eleven losses. They are ranked first with a 2.01 ERA and 1.09 WHIP while ranking 4th overall with 262 strikeouts.

So what has led to the River Bandits early success? They are near the top of most pitching and hitting categories, which is the definition of a perfect team. Most of these players were drafted in 2013 and 2014, so they are in their second or third year. As players get called up to the Astros, there will be some movement like the recent promotion of Joe Musgrove to Lancaster, with his .70 ERA. Let’s look at some players stats.

River Bandits Hitters

Jacob Nottingham (catcher, Round 6, 2013)

  • Slash Line: .273/ .349/ .532/ .881
  • Runs (11), home runs (5), RBI (18), and SB (0).

Jamie Ritchie (First/catcher, Round 13, 2014)

  • Slash Line: .294/ .429/ .400/ .829
  • Runs (18), home runs (1), RBI (10), and SB (3)

Mott Hyde  (2b/ss, Round 26, 2014)

  • Slash Line: .319/ .415/ .473/ .888
  • Runs (19), home runs (0), RBI (10), and SB (1).

Kristian Trompiz (2b/ss, International)

  • Slash Line: .287/ .323/ .437/ .759
  • Runs (12), home runs (2), RBI (9), and SB (0).

Nick Tanielu (3rd/2nd, Round 14, 2014)

  • Slash Line: .284/ .326/ .284/ .679
  • Runs (9), home runs (0), RBI (14), and SB (0).

Bobby Boyd (RF, Round 8, 2014)

  • Slash Line: .273/ .325/ .355/ .680
  • Runs (17), home runs (0), RBI (5), and SB (5).

Derek Fisher (CF, CBA, 2014)

  • Slash Line: .333/ .411/ .607/ 1.018
  • Runs (20), home runs (5), RBI (15), and SB (3).

The hitting stand out so far has to be Derek Fisher, who the Astros drafted with the competitive draft pick they received in the Bud Norris trade. While L.J. Hoes has failed to live up to potential, Josh Hader and Derek Fisher are great hauls for the Astros.

River Bandits Pitching Stats

Daniel Mengden (Round 4, 2014) *Former A&M Aggie

  • 3 wins/ 1 loss/ 1.21 ERA
  • 29 strikeouts in 29.2 innings

Austin Chrismon (Round 26, 2013)

  • 4 wins/ 1 loss/ 2.17 ERA
  • 19 strikeouts in 29 innings

Kevin Comer (Blue Jays Compensation A, 2011)

  • 2 wins/ 0 loss/ 3.58 ERA
  • 28 strikeouts in 27.2 innings

Joe Musgrove (Blue Jays Compensation A, 2011) *Moved up to Lancaster

  • 4 wins/ 1 loss/ 0.70 ERA
  • 23 strikeouts in 25.2 innings

Chris Lee (Round 4, 2011)

  • 2 wins/ 2 loss/ 4.21 ERA
  • 19 strikeouts in 25.2 innings

There are two standout pitchers so far, one of them went up to Lancaster, the other is the former Aggie Mengden. Looking at some of the starting pitchers, can you envision why the pitching stats rank close to the top of the league?

While we tend to focus on the top three Astros farm teams, the River Bandits would like to remind you that they are good too! We will continue to follow the River Bandits every Monday for the rest of the season.

Which current River Bandit will have the greatest future with the Astros?

Next: Now That Correa is in AAA, What's Next?

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