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1 minute ago, runthebone said:

Intentionally signed internationally!


heard on the radio yesterday that blanco was working at a car wash when we signed him, not sure how true that is 

also, the radio pregame that starts 30mins before game time always has dusty and they often discuss the previous games line up decisions. They’ll also have a player or another coach. 

24 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:


heard on the radio yesterday that blanco was working at a car wash when we signed him, not sure how true that is 

also, the radio pregame that starts 30mins before game time always has dusty and they often discuss the previous games line up decisions. They’ll also have a player or another coach. 

That is actually true:

https://theathletic.com/3240168/2022/04/11/astros-reliever-ronel-blancos-unlikely-journey-from-washing-cars-to-pitching-in-the-major-leagues/

 

Spoiler

When Roman Ocumarez read that Ronel Blanco made the Astros’ Opening Day bullpen, he cried.

The 28-year-old Blanco realizing his major-league dream earlier this month led Ocumarez, formerly a high-ranking international scout for the Astros and now the Marlins’ international scouting director, to reminisce about the pitcher’s unlikely journey. The Dominican right-hander was already 22 when the Astros signed him April 27, 2016, for a $5,000 bonus. Blanco said he had tried out previously for the Yankees, Mets, Pirates and Rays to no avail. When he wasn’t training, he washed cars part time in his hometown of Santiago to help support himself and his mother, Maria.

“You start thinking like, ‘This guy used to work at a freaking car wash,’” Ocumarez said. “He was 22. He had to climb the ladder, basically go to every league, earn every spot.”

Even once he did get his chance to pitch professionally, Blanco wasn’t viewed as much of a prospect. Like many of the Astros’ older Dominican and Venezuelan signees from 2014 to 2017 under then-international director Oz Ocampo, he was late to become a pitcher because he was a position player first. He said he played outfield, third base and first base before he started pitching at age 18.

The Astros found Blanco at age 22 through then-scout Francis Mojica, who was based in Santiago, the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic, and covered the northern part of the country for the team. Mojica saw Blanco throw up to 94 mph while scouting a program headlined by a much younger, highly touted player named Julio Rodríguez, who had the same trainer as Blanco. Rodríguez, now the celebrated rookie outfielder for the Mariners, signed with Seattle at age 16 on July 2, 2017, for $1.75 million.

“That was one of the reasons why a lot of scouts saw me because a lot of people went to see him,” Blanco said through an interpreter. “Otherwise, not a lot of scouts would’ve been going there.”

Mojica passed his report on Blanco along to Ocumarez, and the Astros subsequently invited Blanco south to their complex in the capital city of Santo Domingo for a tryout. Ocumarez recalls seeing him hit 92-95 mph with his fastball, flash a breaking ball and throw strikes. At that time, the Astros took a lot of fliers on low-bonus, so-called older pitchers to fill out their second Dominican Summer League team. Six years later, Blanco has joined the likes of Framber Valdez ($10,000 at age 21), Luis Garcia ($20,000 at age 20), Cristian Javier ($10,000 at almost 18) and Enoli Paredes ($10,000 at age 19) among the success stories.

“When I saw this guy, I basically asked him, ‘Ronel, why aren’t you signed? Why are you still available?’” Ocumarez said. “He basically told me part of what happens right now in the scouting system. He said, ‘Ocu, when you turn 18, 19, for some of the teams, you’re old. That’s why I’m still available.’

“In the morning, he practiced baseball. And then in the afternoon, he freaking washed cars. He was basically almost out of baseball.”

Blanco said he would have kept training had the Astros not signed him and that he had five more tryouts on tap. Given his age, of course, there is no guarantee any of them would have culminated in an opportunity. If baseball hadn’t panned out, he said he probably would’ve gone to school, perhaps to follow his interest in architecture. He said he enjoyed working from a young age, and his job washing cars came about because when he was younger he assisted somebody who washed cars for a living.

“I still wash my own car,” said a smiling Blanco, who drives a Toyota 4Runner.

On Saturday afternoon, Blanco sat by his locker in the visitors’ clubhouse at Angel Stadium, where he was surrounded by stars. As he shared details with a reporter of his remarkable path to the majors, Astros manager Dusty Baker walked by and handed him a copy of his lineup card from Friday night’s game to commemorate his debut, which he made late in the team’s 13-6 win against the Angels. Blanco pitched the final 1 1/3 innings of the game, allowing a run on consecutive two-out hits in the ninth after he got Shohei Ohtani to fly out to lead off the inning.

Blanco pairs a 94-96 mph fastball with an 87-88 mph slider. He will also mix in a mid- to upper 80s changeup and a low 80s curveball. He is an imposing figure, all of the 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds at which he’s listed in the Astros media guide. He’s known for having a resilient arm, and he’s grown into better command over the years. Beginning with the Dominican Summer League in 2016, he saw every level of the minors on his way to the majors.

“I remember him coming over for extended spring training, I think it was 2016, maybe 2017, with Yohan Ramirez, who has pitched in the big leagues a little bit with Seattle the last two years,” said Astros pitching coach Josh Miller, a coach in Houston’s minor-league system from 2013 to 18. “They came over as older signed guys who maybe were a little raw still, had good stuff, had good bodies, good projectability. But (they) grew into some stuff. Ronel Blanco, we knew he had the ability to be a major-league pitcher for a couple years now. But before that he was more of a middling prospect. He’s turned himself into a specimen physically and has proved resilient and his stuff’s gotten better along the way.”

Benefitting from the expansion of rosters from 26 to 28 through May 1 as a result of the lockout-shortened spring training, Blanco pitched his way onto the Astros in the abbreviated big-league camp. He arrived in Florida ready to go after a standout winter for Estrellas in the Dominican Republic, where he didn’t allow an earned run in 18 innings. That came on the heels of a strong 2021 as the closer for Triple-A Sugar Land (3.40 ERA in 45 innings with strikeout and walk percentages of 31.7 and 8.9). The Rule 5 Draft is typically held in early December but wasn’t because of the lockout. Had it been held after the end of the lockout, Blanco’s winter ball performance might have gotten him selected by another team.

Now that he’s on their 40-man roster, the Astros will have the option to shuttle Blanco between the majors and Triple A, as needed, for as many as three seasons before they have to risk losing him again. And who knows? Maybe he will follow in the footsteps of some of their other older international signees by continuing to defy the odds and entrench himself on their major-league roster. As he tells it, the unlikeliness of getting signed at 22 and making this journey helped fuel his ascent.

“I thought about it every day,” Blanco said. “I worked basically just thinking about that, about the opportunity. I knew that this might’ve been the only opportunity I would get.”

 




Montero turning to dust on the mound. Send that dude to AAA


Thats not how it works

For a organization so data driven why is Maldonado playing with Hunter on the bump. To much winning is a bad thing

Asked about the Rangers acquiring Aroldis Chapman, Dusty Baker said that “I wanted him” this winter. Baker said he was Chapman’s last call before he ended up signing with the Royals. 

“I wish I had him,” Baker said of Chapman, who he managed in Cincinnati.

Welp, injury bug won’t leave us alone. Next man up ….

Astros will skip Framber Valdez this turn in rotation after he sprained his ankle against the Mets. It affected him in St. Louis. They hope he can make one more start before All-Star break.

Framber Valdez is not starting tomorrow for the Astros. He sprained his ankle during his start against the Mets and it’s gotten progressively worse, Dusty Baker said. The Astros are unsure who is pitching tomorrow.

As of now, Dusty Baker said Cristian Javier will start on Monday against the Rangers. He said Javier is not dealing with anything health-wise.

Edited by tx 3 putt

31 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

Pena should travel with a pillow 

These are major leaguers, they have one of those in each city.

5 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

So who pitches tomorrow?


montero !

5 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

So who pitches tomorrow?

Whitley!  
Ducker getting hurt really sucked. Bielak I imagine. I might go with Spencer Arrigehetti if Bielak isn’t lined up. I’m sure I misspelled his name. 

No Madris against a righty?

22 minutes ago, runthebone said:

Bielak last pitched 6/24

Timing isn’t there for him to be recalled 

2 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

Welp, injury bug won’t leave us alone. Next man up ….

Astros will skip Framber Valdez this turn in rotation after he sprained his ankle against the Mets. It affected him in St. Louis. They hope he can make one more start before All-Star break.

Framber Valdez is not starting tomorrow for the Astros. He sprained his ankle during his start against the Mets and it’s gotten progressively worse, Dusty Baker said. The Astros are unsure who is pitching tomorrow.

As of now, Dusty Baker said Cristian Javier will start on Monday against the Rangers. He said Javier is not dealing with anything health-wise.

How does a sprained ankle get progressively worse in a pitcher?

Well shit

1 minute ago, Midnight Ambler said:

How does a sprained ankle get progressively worse in a pitcher?

When you pitch with one

44 pitches thru 2 for Brown. Gonna need the pen for several innings for sure. 

2 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

44 pitches thru 2 for Brown. Gonna need the pen for several innings for sure. 

It’s cool, Framber going complete game tomorrow. 
Brown getting squeezed if we are being honest. 

Just now, David Dennison said:

Right down the middle.

Dusty gonna Dusty for not playing Chas

Just now, Wulaw Horn said:

It’s cool, Framber going complete game tomorrow. 
Brown getting squeezed if we are being honest. 

Skipping Framber tomorrow due to a sprained ankle. So not feeling good about using the pen a lot today. 

Doesn’t feel like we gonna score today. 

Just now, Mo Horn said:

Skipping Framber tomorrow due to a sprained ankle. So not feeling good about using the pen a lot today. 

‘‘Twas gallows humor. I don’t either. 
 

1 minute ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Doesn’t feel like we gonna score today. 

‘‘Twas gallows humor. I don’t either. 
 

Doh... totally missed that

2 hours ago, David Dennison said:

So who pitches tomorrow?


chas ?

Great defense there, horrible camera work 

Is the camera crew all drunk? Missing several plays

Nice job Hunter to get out of that giving up just one

Why was the infield in there? It’s only the 3rd inning. That made the inning a lot more difficult then it had to be.

4 straight hits allowed and only 1 run.  Could have been worse

2 minutes ago, WBT said:

4 straight hits allowed and only 1 run.  Could have been worse


Still not sure how that happened 😂

So that 1B Abreau fuck Ks to end the inning then can't stop the ball down the line to look at a double.  useless

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