Who's Hot, Who's Not for Astros AA Corpus Christi

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Jun 21, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Vincent Velasquez (67) throws out a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Recently, there has been a lot of moving and shaking going on down in Corpus Christi, but none of those moves have seemed to take away from the big picture down there. They’re still winning a lot of baseball games. They carry a record of 52-25 and are currently 4-3 in the second half of the Texas League’s season.

Their success is translating to success with the Astros as well, as Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers, and Vincent Velasquez have all come through Corpus Christi on their respective paths to Houston this season. In fact, Vincent Velasquez was in my last edition of Who’s Hot & Who’s Not from three weeks ago and Lance McCullers made an appearance in my first edition.

With many new prospects coming into the system after the first year player draft and during the international signing period, expect many more future Astros to be pushed up to Corpus Christi very soon. Some are already in a Hooks uniform, so let’s take a look at those guys now.

Next: Who's Hot Part 1

Apr 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of baseballs prior to a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Who’s Hot: Chris Devenski

He’s not Mark Appel, he’s not Lance McCullers, he’s not Vince Velasquez. He’s Chris Devenski, and he’s on fire this season. Acquired in the 2012 Brett Myers trade with the White Sox, Devenski has been steadily progressing in the Astros organization for a few seasons now, and he has garnered very little attention from Astros fans.

Lately, however, he’s received the attention that he has earned. He was named the starter for the South team in the Texas League All-Star Game. He went on to throw 2 scoreless innings in that game, showing everyone in the minor leagues that he’s for real.

His stats have been great as well. He carries a 7-1 record, a 1.16 ERA, and a 0.91 WHIP. Another amazing stat is that he’s allowed only 48 hits so far this season while striking out 61 opposing hitters. These are truly dominating numbers being put up by the young right-hander.

But, it hasn’t always been so easy for Devenski. He’s had to overcome some struggles at High A Lancaster and at Corpus Christi in 2014. He’s definitely earned a promotion to AAA and consideration from the Astros pitching staff. If I were Chris Devenski, I would have been a little upset, perhaps even irked, when Mark Appel was promoted to AAA Fresno. Devenski had much better numbers than Appel in AA, yet Appel got the promotion first.

I wouldn’t be very surprised to see Chris Devenski traded in a deal where the Astros are looking for an impact starter and have to unload some prospects. It looks to me as if Devenski is ready to take the next step in his career, and due to the current situation that the Astros are in, that next step might have to come with another organization. This will be a very interesting July for not only the Astros organization, but also for Chris Devenski’s career.

Next: Who's Not Part 1

May 8, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Fans watch the first inning between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Who’s Not: Danry Vasquez

Since being promoted to Corpus Christi in late May, Danry Vasquez hasn’t done much of anything in a Hooks uniform. The Venezuelan outfielder who was acquired from the Detroit Tigers in 2013 has also been slowly progressing through the Astros system over the course of two years, but it seems he’s hit a bit of a roadblock down in Corpus.

At High A Lancaster, Vasquez had a .315 batting average through 40 games with 13 doubles and 21 RBI. Then, when he was promoted to Corpus Christi, the numbers began to fall. As of right now, Vasquez carries a .165 batting average with only 13 hits compared to 12 strikeouts. He has only 1 extra base hit (a double) and has been caught stealing 3 out of 4 times.

The plus side about Danry Vasquez is that he’s only 21 years old. He signed with the Tigers out of Venezuela when he was only 16 years old and he’s been playing professional baseball since he was 17. He definitely has some time to work out whatever issues that he’s having at the plate in Corpus Christi. Although the Astros have some outfield problems in the majors right now, they have other guys at AAA who would be better options in center field anyway and don’t need to rush him to AAA.

I don’t really see Danry Vasquez getting traded anytime soon. I think the Astros front office will want to hang onto him and see how he develops. Maybe, if he turns things around, he’ll be in an Astros uniform in late 2016 or early 2017. The outfield ability is good enough for the majors, but the hitting isn’t, especially the power.

He’s playing a little bit like Domingo Santana in the major leagues right now. He’s never going to be a great power bat, but he was known for his contact in Lancaster, so that just needs to be improved. Overall, I’m still very optimistic about the future of Danry Vasquez in the Astros organization despite his slow start for the Corpus Christi Hooks.

Next: Who's Hot Part 2

Jun 1, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; General view of a Rawlings major league baseball before the game between the Tampa Bay Rays against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Who’s Hot: Jon Kemmer

If there’s been a hitting equivalent of what Chris Devenski is doing on the mound so far this season, it’s Jon Kemmer. Kemmer was drafted by the Astros in the 21st round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft, and has been progressing through the Astros farm system ever since. He started the 2015 season in Corpus Christi and wasn’t actually having a spectacular season until June 1 came around. Now, he’s the offensive MVP of that team.

Kemmer hit .403 in June with 4 home runs, 3 doubles, 14 RBIs, and 6 walks. His stellar month of June brought his season average to .321. He’s been driving the ball to the gaps and out of the ballpark, but the one problem is that he’s striking out a lot. I guess that’s not a real problem in the Astros organization, though. He’s been very aggressive so far this season, striking out 49 times and only walking 17 times.

If Jon Kemmer can stay anywhere near the pace he set in June, he will find himself in AAA Fresno before the season ends. I definitely can see guys like Alex Presley, LJ Hoes, and Tony Kemp getting traded or moved up before the season ends. If that happens, one of Jeff Luhnow’s top choices to insert in the AAA outfield has to be Jon Kemmer. He has forced himself into the conversation by outplaying top prospects Teoscar Hernandez and Domingo Santana.

Kemmer might actually have done himself a disservice by playing well if he wants to stay in the Astros organization. He probably has become a more attractive trade option than Danry Vasquez because he’s playing so much better. Overall though, Jon Kemmer should feel very confident about his position in the Astros organization and keep hitting in order to move up the ranks.

Next: Who's Not Part 2

Mar 5, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; A general view of baseballs on the field at Roger Dean Stadium prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Who’s Not: Kyle Westwood

If I’m understanding the Astros philosophy correctly, Kyle Westwood will be on his way to AAA Fresno very soon. Mark Appel’s ERA was 4.26 when he was plucked from Corpus Christi and promoted to the Grizzlies, so you would think that Westwood is perfectly qualified at his mark of 4.40.

In all seriousness though, Kyle Westwood didn’t have a great first half on the mound for Corpus Christi. He had some solid starts where he displayed quality strikes and got batters out efficiently, but wasn’t able to put together a string of starts where his stuff was clicking inning after inning. Coming out of the first half of the Texas League season, he had given up 25 hits and 10 earned runs in 3 games.

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