Astros Minors: Myles Straw An Asset With Bat and Glove

By Larry Manch |

Myles Straw, Quad Cities River Bandits. Photo by @QCBanditPhotog.

Astros Class-A Report: Quad Cities River Bandits (June 5-11)

Astros minor league outfielder Myles Straw is swinging a hot bat and playing solid defense lately for the River Bandits. The 21-year-old from Garden Grove, California started the 2016 season on the Greeneville roster and was assigned to Quad Cities on May 19 when OF Johnny Sewald moved up to Lancaster.

So far in 2016, in 20 games, Straw is hitting .307/.365/.427, with four triples and seven RBI. In his last ten games, he is batting .351, including a three-hit performance on June 9 against the Beloit Snappers, and three hits (two triples and a double) in the June 11 game against Burlington. Playing all three outfield positions for the River Bandits, Straw has made only one error and had one assist.

Straw was drafted in 2015 in the 12th round of the Amateur Draft out of St. Johns River Community College (Palatka, Fl.). With St. Johns River, Straw played in 103 games, batting .385/.442/.461, with one home run, 51 RBI, and 27 stolen bases. As a pitcher, he appeared in 15 games, all in relief. Throwing 15 innings, Straw allowed 14 hits, and ten runs, nine earned.

His first professional assignment was in 2015 with the Greeneville Astros of the Appalachian (Rookie) League. In 58 games that season, Straw hit .268 with ten doubles, three triples, 29 walks, 51 strikeouts, and 22 stolen bases. With Greeneville, playing all over the outfield, in 130 total fielding chances, he did not make any errors, and he threw out nine base runners.

Although Straw is not in the Astros Top 30 Prospects list, he is a man to watch. Hitting for average and fine defensive play will keep him moving up in the organization

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Other notes:

In the June 5, 5-4 loss to Burlington, Kevin McCanna struck out eight in 4.2 innings, and Franklin Perez struck out six in four frames.
After an extremely slow start to the season, and despite the fact that the River Bandits are still in last place, the team batting average continues to improve. After June 11, when they knocked out a season-high 18 hits, the team is hitting .244 (ninth in the league) in 60 games.
Zac Person, spotlighted last week, was named Astros May Pitcher of the Month for Quad Cities.
Kyle Tucker is the May Player of the Month, and he was named to the Midwest League’s Western Division All-Star Team, as voted by league managers. After the game on June 9, Tucker was hitting .351 in his last ten games, .306 overall this season. He was placed on the seven-day disabled list on June 10.
LHP Austin Nicely was assigned on June 8 to Quad Cities from Tri-City. The 21-year-old was a 10th round pick in 2013 by Houston. His three-year minor league record is 2-9, 4.35 ERA, 43 walks, 44 strikeouts in 24 games, 82.2 innings. In his first appearance, on June 11 against Burlington, Nicely entered the game in the bottom of the 6th in relief of Franklin Perez. Nicely didn’t fare so well, giving up two hits, including a home run, two walks, and three earned runs without registering an out.
OF Hector Roa moved up to Quad Cities from the Tri-City Valley Cats on June 11. Signed in 2012 by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent, Roa hit .253 with 29 home runs and 100 RBI in 204 games in four seasons in the Astros system. In Roa’s first at bat in the Midwest League on June 11, on the first pitch thrown to him, he hit a triple off the center field wall. Two at-bats later, he collected his second hit of the game – another triple.

Next: Houston Astros: Corpus Christi Player Spotlight – Francis Martes

Quad Cities went 3-3 this week, with a firm grip on last place in the Western Division (26-35). Next week, (June 12-18), the River Bandits play one at Burlington to finish the road trip, and host the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for three at Modern Woodmen Park. Then comes the first three of a four-game set at home with the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

**Statistics provided by MiLB.com. Cover photo courtesy @QCBanditPhotog.**