Astros: Hooks’ Rojas and McKee Impress, McCormick Dazzles

Month one of the Astros’ Minor League season is in the books and Joshua Rojas, Colin McKee and Chas McCormick have shown brightly in recent games.

As May brings a fresh take on the long season ahead, the Houston Astros Double-A Affiliate,  Corpus Christi Hooks, are looking to gain some footing in this up-and-down season.

Sitting at 3rd in the Texas League South Division standings, the Hooks are looking up at Frisco only down by 3 games. The second half of this month will set the tone on how the race for the first half goes. The remaining 22 games in the month of May are all inter-divisional games.

Here are the top hitter’s and pitcher’s of the last week for the Corpus Christi Hooks, plus, a look at the catch of the year so far.

Top Hitter of the Week – Joshua Rojas

The Jack-Of-All-Trades, as he has become known as, is having quite the season for himself in 2019. After being invited to Spring Training for the first time in his career, Rojas is spending most of his time in Corpus Christi honing his glove skills at multiple positions, spending time at third, second, short and even some in the outfield this season.

His bat has been doing a lot of talking as well, slashing a .301 AVG/.393 OBP/.430 SLG line along with eight extra-base hits. His ability on the base paths will for sure help him out in the long run, as he has already gathered 11 stolen bases on the year. At this rate, a 30+ stolen base season is not entirely improbable.

Top Fielder of the Week – Chas McCormick

You can’t properly have an article highlighting top performers, and NOT include Chas McCormick. Known for his glove, McCormick is a defensive wizard that is showcasing his skills early, and often. If you don’t believe me, just ask the wall at ONEOK Field. Drillers first baseman, Chris Parmelee, crushed a shot over the wall. Pulling out his best Jay Buhner impression, McCormick tracked the ball and went over the wall, securing the out. Don’t believe me? Check out the replay below.

Top Pitcher of the Week – Colin McKee

Colin McKee has been one of the best arms coming out of the Hooks pen this year. In his most recent outing, McKee went 2.2 innings pitched while striking out five batters. Across the board in this early year, McKee has gone 17 innings, striking out a staggering 25 batters and holding opposing hitters to a measly .176 average. In his first year at Double-A, McKee is a pitcher who could be a name to watch. With the bullpen in flux, he could make a future for himself as a long relief or 7th inning guy for the Astros in the coming years.

As the Hooks season progresses, we’ll keep tabs on these players and others. Stay tuned for our next installment of who’s hot and who’s not.