Astros prospects 40-31

Another Installment of Astros prospects. Have learned from Astros'  fans to discount the OPS numbers in High A. Clack, posting at The Crawfish Boxes suggested minorleaguesplits.com, which will be handy in the future. Thanks for the heads up man!

If you missed the 50-41, they can be found here.

The formula for how I came upon this top 50 is included below:

For hitters I used OPS as my control. This is the formula I used: OPS +.025 per level above GCL +/- .025 for every year above or below age 22 by August 2009 + .025 for CF/SS/C + .025 for base stealers. I also perused the total numbers to look for anomalies and at this point I favored the higher hyped prospects.

For pitchers I used WHIP as my control. This is the formula I used: WHIP -.05 per level above GCL +/- .05 for every year above or below 22 by August 2009 -.2 for starters. I also favored those with high K/9 rates and gave a break to those with higher BABIP (batting average of balls in play), because they may have been unlucky. I perused the total numbers to look for anomalies and at this point I favored the higher hyped prospects.

40. Ross Seaton Starter 9/18/1989.
He was drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round in 2008 out of Second Baptist (HS) Texas. He went 8-10 with a 3.29 ERA in 24 starts/136.2 innings for Class A Lexington, giving up 137 hits, while striking out 88 and walking 39. He's very young and has shown a 94 MPH fastball and good slider, but if he doesn't improve his hit rate or strikeout rate, he will have to walk less guys to have a shot in an MLB starting staff.
 
39. Brandon Barnes Outfielder 5/15/1986.
He was drafted by the Astros in the 6th round in 2005 out of Cypress College. He batted .273/.322/.471 over 2 A levels and AA. His .523 SLG in hitter friendly Lancaster, over 291 plate appearances, inflated his numbers some. If he can improve his walk rate, he could be a 4th OF or league average MLB corner outfielder.
 
 38. Emilio King Outfielder 8/17/1989.
He was signed by the Astros out of Samana, Dominican Republic in 2006. He batted .254/.399/.384 for the Gulf Coast Astros. He also stole 8 bases in 9 tries. Looks to be very raw, with some speed, gap power, and walks a little, but at 20 years old, he still has time to refine his skills.

37. John Frawley Reliever 11/29/1985.
He was signed by the Astros out of the University of North Florida in 2009. He went 2-0 with a .90 ERA in 20 innings for the Gulf Coast Astros, giving up 18 hits, while striking out 25 and walking 0. There is not a lot to go on so far, but his brief numbers in rookie ball are out of sight. It will be interesting to see how he does against tougher competition. Could be a real find for the organization or just a blip.

36. Enrique Hernandez SS-2B 8/24/1991.
He was drafted by the Astros in the 6th round in 2009 out of American Military Academy in Puerto Rico. He batted .295/.336/.396 for GCL Astros. He stole 8 bases in 10 tries. It was a good debut for a very young player with tools. Has a long way to go but also has a high ceiling.

35. Douglas Arguello Lefty Starter 12/21/1984.
He was signed by the Astros out of Minagua, Nicoragua in 2001. He went 3-4 with a 3.36 ERA in 75 innings for AA Corpus Christi, giving up 70 hits while striking out 55 and walking 26. He doesn't strike out enough and walks too many guys. He might be better suited as a reliever.

34. Chris Johnson Third Base 10/1/1984.
He was drafted by the Astros in the 6th round in 2006 out of Stetson University. He batted .281/.323/.461 for AAA Round Rock. He made his MLB debut in 2009. He has decent power, but needs to improve his discipline. He could be in the mix for the major league roster in 2010.

33. Michael Schurz Reliever 9/12/1986.
He was drafted by the Astros in the 44th round in 2009 out of the University of Iowa. He went 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in 29.2 innings between GCL Astros and Tri-City, giving up 19 hits while striking out 37 and walking 13. Has good hit and K numbers, could be a dominant reliever if he could walk less.

32. Matt Weston First Base 5/20/1984.
He was originally drafted by the Giants in 2006 and spent 2008 in an independent Canadian league. He batted .300/.374/.572 for Class A Lancaster. Showed some nice power in a power-happy league. How he does when he moves up to AA will determine if he has a chance to make the majors some day.

31. Brad Dydalewicz Lefty Starter 3/24/1990.

He was drafted by the Astros in the 8th round in 2008 out of Lake Travis HS in Austin, TX. He went 8-5 with a 3.93 ERA in 22 starts/110 innings for Class A Lexington, giving up 93 hits, striking out 78 and walking 51. He's left handed, throws 95 and not yet 20. Numbers aside, I'd have ranked him higher, but he needs to walk less guys. Having never heard of him until now, i'd say he has a chance to be a future ace, but he has a long road to get to that point.

That's it for now, stay tuned for the next 10.