DAY TWO OF CAMP: Astros pitchers and catchers had their second workout this morning at the Osceola County Stadium complex in Kissimmee, FL…all 28 pitchers and six catchers are in camp and working out…2012 marks the 28th season that the Astros have held Spring Training in Kissimmee, which is the fifth-longest tenure in Florida.
DOWN ON THE FARM: The first workout for pitchers and catchers at the Astros minor league Spring Training camp is scheduled for Sunday, March 4 (March 8 for position players).
SIGNINGS: RHP Arcenio Leon, RHP Henry Sosa and 2B Jose Altuve all agreed to one-year contracts today. Terms were not disclosed.
NEW ERA BEGINS: Astros Owner and Chairman Jim Crane was in camp yesterday and spoke briefly to the players prior to their workout…MLB unanimously approved the sale of the Astros to a group headed by Crane on November 17, 2011…Astros President and CEO George Postolos was also in camp yesterday…Crane and Postolos will return when the Astroshave their first official full squad workout on Feb. 26.
THE NEW GM: Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow, who was hired in December during the Winter Meetings, will be in camp for the entire Spring…Luhnow had been a vice president for the St. Louis Cardinals overseeing scouting and player development prior to joining the Astros…Luhnow visited the Astros Latin American Academy in the Dominican Republic last week.
EARLY BIRDS: Several position players have begun working out at the complex this week…the first scheduled full squad workout is Sunday, Feb. 26…Position players that have reported to camp thus far: 2B Jose Altuve, IF Brian Bixler, OF Brian Bogusevic, OF Travis Buck, OF-1B Jack Cust, 2B Delino DeShields, IF Marwin Gonzalez, OF Jake Goebbert,
3B Chris Johnson, SS Jed Lowrie, OF J.D. Martinez, 3B Jimmy Paredes, IF Angel Sanchez, OF Jordan Schafer, OF J.B. Shuck, OF George Springer, OF Brad Snyder and IF Brett Wallace.
QUOTES FROM TODAY’S WORKOUT
Brad Mills after today’s workout
“I thought Rhiner Cruz threw the ball really well today. Bud Norris and Paul Clemens really threw the ball well. Livan’s (Hernandez) command of his pitches was really impressive. The guys are getting their arms in shape right now. We’re anxious to see some of the new guys, like Rhiner and Clemens to see what they can do. We’ve got some pretty good arms.”
Brad Mills on the starting rotation
“We brought Livan in to compete for a spot. He has a lot of experience, he always competes and always gives his teams a chance to win. Jordan Lyles, we hope he has the same type of Spring that he had last year for us. He was outstanding for us. Watching Kyle Weiland throw a couple of times has shown us that he has great stuff. Henry Sosa and Lucas Harrell are in the mix. J.A. Happ finished last season very strongly with a lot of confidence. We think that will carry over. This Spring Training is all about guys competing and battling for jobs. There are opportunities here.”
BY THE NUMBERS: The Astros Spring Training roster consists of 63 players overall, with 28 pitchers, six catchers, 16 infielders and 13 outfielders.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Currently, just 10 of the 63 players in the Astros camp are aged 30
or older…six of the the 35 position players and four of the 28 pitchers in camp are 30 or
older…the position players: Jason Bourgeois (30), Jack Cust (33), Carlos Lee (35), Humberto Quintero (32) , Chris Snyder (31) and Joe Thurston (32)…the pitchers: Livan Hernandez (37), Brandon Lyon (32), Brett Myers (31) and Wandy Rodriguez (33).
NEW FACES: 14 players on the Spring Training roster are new to the Astros organization
in 2012…31 players in camp were not on the Spring Training roster in 2011.
MANAGER AND COACHES: 2012 will be Brad Mills third season as Astros manager…there are two new coaches on Mills staff this season: bench coach Joe Pettini and bullpen coach Craig Bjornson…returning to the staff are hitting coach Mike Barnett, pitching coach Doug Brocail, third base coach Dave Clark and first base coach Bobby Meacham.
50TH ANNIVERSARY: The Astros are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the franchise in 2012…several events and promotions have been scheduled throughout the season.
GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUE SCHEDULE: The Astros open the 2012 Spring Training schedule at home on Saturday, March 3 vs. the Washington Nationals (1:05 p.m. ET)…all Spring Training games will be broadcast on radio…KTRH AM will carry all weekend games (Saturday-Sunday) and KBME AM will carry the Monday-Friday games.
SPRING TIX: Astros Spring Training tickets can be purchased online at www.astros.com, at the Osceola County Stadium box office (home games only), via telephone at (800) 745-3000 and in person at Florida Ticketmaster outlets. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST and on all game dates.
ASTROS NEW FAN-FRIENDLY INITIATIVES: On January 23, Astros Owner and Chairman Jim Crane announced several new, fan-friendly initiatives, including a reduction in ticket prices, rebates for season ticket holders and a revised policy on bringing food and water into Minute Maid Park…fans are now allowed to bring food and water into Minute Maid Park for Astros games…food must be transported in a small, clear (see-through) plastic bag, and water must be in a sealed, plastic bottle, being one liter or less in size…as a special thank you for their loyalty and commitment, the Astros issued five percent rebates to full-season and 27-game season ticket accounts that were renewed early…the 2012 season will also bring a reduction in the cost of over 5,000 seats at Minute Maid Park, in comparison to the start of the 2011 season.
HOUSTON COLLEGE CLASSIC, MARCH 2-4: Minute Maid Park will again host one of the most highly-competitive, early-season college baseball tournaments in the country when the 2012 Houston College Classic, presented by Ticketmaster, returns from March 2-4…the six-team tournament enters its 12th year at Minute Maid Park and will feature hometown schools Rice University and the University of Houston, who will be making their annual entry into the tournament…this year’s field also includes Texas, Texas Tech, Arkansas and Tennessee…three of the teams in the tournament are ranked nationally among the top 10 in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s 2012 pre-season poll, including No. 5 Texas, No. 7 Rice and No. 8 Arkansas.
2011-12 OFFSEASON TRANSACTIONS: Feb. 6: Free agent OF Justin Ruggiano signed to minor league contract with Spring Training invite; IF Delino DeShields, OF Jake Goebbert, 1B Jonathan Singleton, OF George Springer and IF Jonathan Villar invited to Spring Training as non-roster players…Feb. 1: Angel Sanchez clears waivers, invited to Spring Training as non-roster player…Jan. 31: RHP Livan Hernandez signed to minor league contract with Spring Training invite…Jan. 27: LHP Zach Duke signed to minor league contract with Spring Training invite…Jan. 24: IF Angel Sanchez designated for assignment…Jan. 19: RHP Henry Villar clears waivers, invited to Spring Training as non-roster player…Jan. 18: Free agent OF Jack Cust signed to one-year, ML contract with club option for 2013; C Craig Tatum designated for assignment…Jan. 17:. Agreed to terms on a one-year contract with LHP J.A. Happ, thus avoiding arbitration; Craig Bjornson hired as ML bullpen coach… Jan. 11: OF Fernando Martinez claimed off waivers from the Mets; RHP Henry Villar designated for assignment; Joe Pettini named ML bench coach; Mike Elias named Special Assistant to the General Manager/Scouting; Dan Radison named Special Assistant to the General Manager/Player Development; Matt Sinatro named ML catching and advance scouting coordinator… Jan. 3: Sig Mejdal named Director of Decision Sciences; Stephanie Wilka named Coordinator of Amateur Scouting…Dec. 14: Acquired IF Jed Lowrie and RHP Kyle Weiland from BOS in exchange for RHP Mark Melancon; IF Brian Bixler designated for assignment; OF/1B Nick Stavinoha released from minor league contract to sign with Japanese ballclub…Dec. 12: Agreed to terms on a one-year contract with C Humberto Quintero, thus avoiding arbitration…Dec. 8: Select RHP Rhiner Cruz in first round of Major League Rule 5 Draft and RHP Marco Duarte in first round of Triple A Rule 5 Draft; acquire IF Marwin Gonzalez from BOS in exchange for Duarte…Dec. 7: Jeff Luhnow named General Manager…Dec. 2: signed IF Diory Hernandez to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training…Nov. 29: signed C Carlos Corporan to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training…Nov. 18: Purchased the contract of RHP Paul Clemens; signed RHP Lance Pendleton to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training…Nov. 16: Outrighted C Carlos Corporan off the 40-man roster…Nov 15: IF Scott Moore signed to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training…Nov 13: IF Joe Thurston signed to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training…Nov 12: OF Brad Snyder signed to a minor league contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training…Nov 9: OF Travis Buck and IF-OF Nick Stavinoha signed to minor league contracts with invites to Major League Spring Training…Nov. 3: IF Brian Bixler claimed off waivers from Washington…Oct. 31: RHP Brandon Lyon, LHP Sergio Escalona, and C Jason Castro removed from the 60-Day DL…Oct. 30: SS Clint Barmes and OF Jason Michaels declare free agency…Oct. 28: C Craig Tatum claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles; OF Brandon Barnes re-signed to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training; Astros hire three amateur scouts: Tim Bittner (Mid-Atlantic), Gavin Dickey (South Texas), and John Martin (Central and North Florida)…Oct. 24: LHP Xavier Cedeno, RHP Alberto Arias, and RHP Jose Valdez re-signed to minor league contracts; Cedeno and Valdez invited to Major League Spring Training; Jon Matlack named Minor League Pitching Coordinator; Bryan Lambe hired as professional scout…Oct. 17: RHP Jose Valdez refuses minor league assignment, becomes free agent…Oct. 13: C J.R. Towles, RHP Alberto Arias, and RHP Jose Valdez outrighted off 40-man roster; RHP Alberto Arias removed from 60-day DL; C J.R. Towles to become free agent after World Series…Oct. 11: Astros agree to terms on one-year contracts for pitching coach Doug Brocail and hitting coach Mike Barnett…Oct. 7: RHP Lance Pendleton refuses minor league assignment, becomes free agent…Oct. 5: LHP Xavier Cedeno, RHP Blake King, and RHP Lance Pendleton outrighted off 40-man roster.
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