HOUSTON -- Pascanel Ferreras was the final pick of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Western Carolina University. Selected with the 614th overall pick, Ferreras continues to reward the Astros' faith in him with the way he's swinging the bat. Ferreras, a shortstop at Double-A Corpus Christi, had his second four-hit game of the season on Wednesday, going 4-for-5 with all singles. He also had four singles in the first game of the season and was hitting .435 on the road entering Friday (10-for-23). "From being the last pick in the Draft to what he's shown us now, he's created a ton of value for the organization," Astros assistant general manager Gavin Dickey said. "And it speaks to the hard work he's put in." After posting an .572 OPS in 2023 at Single-A Fayetteville, Ferreras began last season with 21 games at High-A Asheville. He posted a slash line of .309/.411/.457 to earn a promotion to Corpus Christi on May 7. In 88 games for the Hooks, he slashed .201/.295/.331 with 11 doubles, six triples, six homers and eight steals. |
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"We're trying to get him going, create some positional versatility," Dickey said. "We hope to get him some time in the outfield, as well. Just give him multiple avenues to help us in the future. He's always handled the bat pretty well; he makes contact. He needs to get his swing decisions under control better and swing at a little bit better pitches." Despite standing 5-foot-7, Ferreras has some sneaky power from the right side of the plate with power on the inner-half. "He makes pitchers respect the inner half of the plate," Dickey said. "And if you miss, he has enough power to hit a ball over the fence. He's not going to get the bat knocked out of his hand." Dickey said it was apparent in the spring that Ferreras had put in a lot of work in the offseason and took care of his body, coming into camp in great shape and ready to compete and continue to move up the line. "That's probably the one thing that stood out for us the most," Dickey said. "That's going to help him defensively, as well, playing up the middle, being able to run some balls down in the outfield. It's going to help his overall game." |
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Here's a look at some other Minor Leaguers in the Houston system who are off to fast starts: Triple-A Sugar Land
Right-hander AJ Blubaugh -- the Astros' No. 10 prospect in the MLB Pipeline rankings -- has a 2.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 18 innings this year for the Space Cowboys. He has appeared in four games (three starts) and allowed 15 hits, no home runs and six walks with 28 strikeouts. Blubaugh punched out seven batters on Thursday in Las Vegas, touching 97 mph. "We always knew AJ had this type of ability," Dickey said. "It's expected, honestly. At some point this year, I hope he's up here and helping us compete for a championship. AJ will say the same thing. He is a tireless worker. He's probably one of the best athletes in our system. He had a very strong year last year, and we expect him to have another strong year this year." High-A Asheville
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Miami (Ohio) in 2023, 22-year-old right-hander Hudson Leach had appeared in three games for the Tourists entering Friday and had 10 strikeouts and no walks in 4 2/3 innings. He retired all 14 batters he faced. In his first professional season last year across three levels, he had 49 strikeouts and 31 walks and a 3.26 ERA in 38 2/3 innings. The Astros haven't developed many relievers in recent years, but Leach could buck that trend. Single-A Fayetteville
Shortstop Caden Powell, a sixth-round pick out of Seminole State (Oklahoma) Junior College last year, was slashing .356/.408/.533 with a homer in his first 45 at-bats. From April 12-17, he was 12-for-26 (.462) in six games. |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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The Astros will play their 10,000th game on Sunday against the Padres at Daikin Park. Who was their opponent for their 5,000th game? A. Padres B. Dodgers
C. Cubs D. Giants |
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This weekend's series against the Padres marked the return of longtime Astros catcher Martín Maldonado, who appeared in the playoffs in six years with Houston. He won three American League pennants, one World Series, caught two no-hitters and was behind plate for most of Justin Verlander's starts when he won the 2022 AL Cy Young. "Everything I did here was the highlight of my career," Maldonado said on Friday. "It's always nice to come back. I'm going to have my family here today, so it will be huge. … I had a lot of memories walking to the field, a lot of big moments here -- some homers, playoff games, World Series, a lot of teammates. … We still care about each other from the other side." The Astros first traded for Maldonado from the Angels at the Trade Deadline in 2018 and then traded for him again a year later, sending Tony Kemp to the Cubs. Maldonado re-signed as a free agent with the Astros after the 2019 season, but the club didn't bring him back prior to last year and he signed with the White Sox. |
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A. Padres San Diego beat the Astros, 9-4, on May 22, 1993, in San Diego in Houston's 5,000th game. |
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