Where are the 2008 Draft Picks?

I thought I would spend a few posts on the Astros 2008 draft picks and see how they were performing. Let’s start off with the Lancaster Jethawks.

Name	Position
Jason Castro	C
T.J. Steele	OF
Jack Shuck	OF
Jonathan Gaston	OF
David Flores	3B
David Duncan	LHP
Christopher Hicks	RHP
Shane Wolf	LHP
Philip Rummel	RHP

Jason Castro, Catcher

AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
.297	49	185	21	55	17	1	6	38	92	23	37	1	1	.380	.497	.878

The Astros catcher-to-be has been performing well in his first full season in the minors.  He has a high average and good production.  I am a little worried about his 37 strikeouts and his slugging, but hopefully he can turn that around.

T.J. Steele, Outfielder

AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
.227	6	22	1	5	0	0	1	4	8	1	5	0	0	.292	.364	.655

T.J.’s stats aren’t very special, but he has only had 22 at-bats, so it is a little hard to tell how he is performing.

Jack Shuck, Outfielder

AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
.323	46	195	32	63	7	4	0	15	78	23	19	11	2	.394	.400	.794

Jack has been doing really well in Lancaster.  His average of .323 is great and he only has 19 strikeouts which is a sign of someone who has a good eye.  His slugging is pretty low, but if you look at his steals (11), you see that he is a lead off hitter in the making.  I am looking forward to seeing his career progress with the Astros.

Jonathan Gaston, Outfielder

AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
.312	50	173	42	54	13	6	14	36	121	31	46	6	2	.417	.699	1.116

Like Jack Shuck, Jonathan Gaston’s numbers are also good.  He has a .312 average and 6 stolen bases.  Unlike Shuck, his slugging is good.  Very good when you see his 16 homeruns.  These two might make a nice one-two punch in the outfield.

David Flores, Third Baseman

AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
.251	45	171	20	43	14	1	2	18	65	3	24	4	2	.301	.380	.681

David Flores hasn’t been great, but he hasn’t been terrible either.  That being said, I have concerns about his 24 strikeouts and his .251 average.  He has had 171 at-bats and that is plenty of time to show what you are made of.

David Duncan, Left-handed Pitcher

W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
0	8	8.48	9	9	0	0	0	40.1	69	48	38	7	15	26	1.66	.385

Duncan’s statistics are extremely disappointing.  David was one of the top picks for the Astros, but he has not performed well in Lancaster.  He is going to have to fix things if he hopes to make it to the big leagues and seeing as how he is left-handed, I am sure that the Astros will give him every opportunity.

Christopher Hicks, Right-handed Pitcher

W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
4	3	6.31	10	10	0	0	0	45.2	70	36	32	7	16	39	1.60	.357

Shane Wolf, Right-handed Pitcher

W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
1	3	6.58	8	8	0	0	0	39.2	53	30	29	5	8	29	1.15	.319

Phillip Rummel, Right-handed Pitcher

W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
1	2	7.04	8	1	0	0	0	15.1	29	13	12	1	5	8	2.18	.420

Christopher Hicks, Shane Wolf and Phillip Rummel have all had average performances in single-A.  Their averages are fairly high and their strikeouts (with the exception of Hicks) aren’t mindblowing.  Rummel is of great concern because he has only pitched 15.1 innings, but has a very high ERA during that time.  All four of the 2008 drafted pitchers who are playing with the Jethawks need to step it up.