The Runner Sports
Home / Cities / Houston / AstroBits: World Series Edition (Appel, Spring Training, Payroll)

AstroBits: World Series Edition (Appel, Spring Training, Payroll)

  • By
    • Tweet
    • Pin It
  • Updated: October 21, 2014

Like you and me, The Houston Astros will be in front of their flat-screens this week watching the Giants and Royals duke it out for baseball world domination. But, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to report from 501 Crawford St.:

Playing in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) this autumn, Mark Appel, the Astros’ Number 1 overall pick from the 2013 First-Year Player Draft has been looking like the Stanford NCBWA 2012 Pitcher of the Year they were hoping he’d look like. A slow start at Class A Advanced Lancaster (9.74 ERA) this past spring had the Astro braintrust second-guessing their selection (and their $6 1/3 million signing-bonus payout).

He impressed during the last month of 2014 for the AA Corpus Christi Hooks, though (3.69 ERA), and has continued his dominance in the AFL for the Salt River Rafters. The rangy right-hander has tossed 12 straight scoreless innings in his first 3 starts. In that span, he’s struck out 12 batters, walked three, and given up four hits. The word from “up-top” dictates that Mark pitch no more than 5 innings at this point, given both his January appendectomy and the lengthy 4-week gap between the end of minor league play and the start of AFL. Improving his consistency and getting better every game seems to be Appel’s agenda this fall. Referencing a recent outing, he commented, “My last game was probably my best up to that point and today was even better. The difference today was my fastball command out of the wind-up.”

Astros owner Jim Crane announced mid-October a payroll increase of some $20 million for the 2015 season, an increase from the ’14 payroll of $45 million. The increase could balloon further if the team reaches a nearing settlement with Comcast over TV rights. The team was paid absolutely nothing in ’14 (in TV rights fees), and only half of what they earned in ’13, and have been in court sorting things out. Crane recently mentioned the Astros’ offseason goal is to “go out and sign some free agents.” Bolstering the bullpen, adding a corner infielder, and a homer-hitting corner outfielder seem to top the obvious free-agent shopping list.

The team has recently announced the coaching staff for 2015 that will join newly-named manager A.J. Hinch in leading the Astros into battle: Trey Hillman will be bench coach (Yankees special assistant for Major and Minor League Operations), Dave Hudgens hitting coach (last 4 seasons as the Mets’ hitting coach), Gary Pettis as third-base coach (last 8 seasons on the coaching staff of the Texas Rangers), and baserunning/outfield instructor, and Rich Dauer as first-base coach/infield instructor (last 2 years as the manager of the San Diego Padres’ AA San Antonio Missions affiliate). They’ll join retained pitching coach Brent Strom and bullpen coach Craig Bjornson, each returning for a second season with the Astros.

The Astros have spent nearly 30 years with Kissimmee, FL as their spring training base, and now it looks like Kissimmee will soon be in the Astros’ rear-view mirror. Palm Beach County in south Florida looms on the spring horizon as county commissioners voted 5-2 in approving a new facility that would house both the Astros and the Washington Nationals. The Astros have two years remaining on their Osceola County Stadium lease in Kissimmee, and would look to hold their first spring training in Palm Beach County by 2017.

Author: Brad Kyle

Brad was born the same year as rock’n’roll and Disneyland. Aging only slightly better than one of them, he’s a Houston native, and has seen countless Astro games, in all three Houston pro ball stadiums: Colt Stadium, The Astrodome, and Minute Maid Park.

He has spent one day as a crematorium assistant, one day in a Paddington Bear suit at the Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue, and 3 days as an extra on 1998’s 20th Century Fox theatrical release, “The Newton Boys,” directed by Richard Linklater (and starring Matthew McConaughey and Ethan Hawke).

Brad has also played pinball with the Talking Heads’ David Byrne (he’ll claim he won, but *wink*), and when presenting Peter Gabriel (Genesis) with a paper plate for his autograph, he proceeded to write, “To Brad, Eat well. Peter Gabriel.” I’ve been following his advice ever since!

Brad has spent professional time (more than one day for each) as a teacher, youth minister, radio personality, record store manager, entertainment booking agent, singer, comedy writer, and…..oh, yeah, sports writer!