Thursday, July 31, 2014

Jarred Cosart, Kiké Hernandez, and Austin Wates traded to Marlins

Today, we saw a big trade go down. Jarred Cosart, the hometown kid, Enrique "Kiké" Hernandez, who quickly established himself as a fan favorite here even though he's only played a month in the Majors, and Austin Wates, the Astros' 3rd-round pick from 2010, were all traded to the Miami Marlins.

Coming to the Houston Astros are Colin Moran, Jake Marisnick, and Francis Martes. The Astros also recieved a competitive balance lottery pick in the deal. Here is a brief intro to all 3 players.

Moran, a 21-year-old 3B, is the nephew of longtime MLBer B.J. Surhoff and was the 6th overall pick in 2013 from North Carolina. He entered the 2014 season as the #2 prospect in the Marlins organization, according to Baseball America. He has spent the entire season with Jupiter in the Florida State League. He will be reporting to Corpus Christi.

Marisnick, 23, is an outfielder who was originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the 3rd round from high school in Riverside, California. He is reporting to the Astros. Marisnick was BA's #3 prospect entering the year. He made his Major League debut last July 23.

Martes, an 18-year-old RHP, has been with the Marlins' Gulf Coast League team. This is his first season in the United States.

Welcome to Houston, guys! We hope that you'll be contributors to a Houston Astros dynasty soon.

Well, it was great to see Jarred Cosart bring it for his hometown team. You could tell that he was proud to wear the H every time he took the mound. His results were a bit uneven, but he wanted to improve himself each and every day. Would it have been nice to see him stick around? You bet. I'll still wear his jersey. I won't speculate on what precipitated his departure here.

Kiké's a ballplayer. As a player who was largely overlooked by the rankings, he rose up and fought his way to the Majors even if the scouts and the pundits had already capped him as a utility player. I won't be surprised if he plays in the Majors for 10 years doing everything on the field and injecting some energy into a lineup.

Austin Wates, I believe, was simply a victim of the numbers game. He posted solid lines year in and year out, but he was never viewed as a hot prospect. I also think that he would have played in Houston had it not been for injuries that have kept him off the field, most notably the wrist problem that kept him on the shelf for most of last season.

Happy trails, Jarred, Enrique, and Austin. All the best as you continue to live your dream (or in Austin's case chase your dream) of being Major League Baseball players. No matter where your careers take you, I hope you hold Houston, Texas dear in your hearts and always remember that the Astros gave you your first Major League opportunities.

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