by Marc Hefferan
*MLBDepthCharts.com considers any player not on a team's 40-man roster, in AAA, or ranked as a top 10 prospect by Baseball America or top 11 prospect by Baseball Prospectus before the 2010 season as an 'under the radar' player.
Under the Radar Minor League NL Hitting Performance of the Week
C Chris Wallace, Lo-A Lexington (HOU)
season stats: .435 BA, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 7 2B, 2 3B, 8 BB, 13 K in 18 games
April 20-April 26: 12-for-25, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 2B, 2 3B, 3 BB, 3 K
When the Astros made Stanford catcher Jason Castro their 10th overall pick in the 2008 draft, they knew they had the player that would solidify the catching position for years to come. With his advanced bat and polish behind the plate, Castro made short work of the minors and made his big league debut in June of 2010 and didn’t look back. Even with his season-ending injury in 2011, the Astros still feel they have the pillar of their franchise in Castro. However, every baseball franchise knows the key to success is building organization depth. Houston might have quite a bit more than that with this week’s UTR pick. Wallace, who turns 23 today, is a true definition of ‘home grown’ talent. A graduate of Cy-Fair High School in Houston’s northwest suburb of Cypress, he eventually signed a letter of intent to play for his hometown University of Houston Cougars. During the Houston Baseball Classic at Minute Maid Park on March 1, 2009, Wallace stepped to the plate to battle then Texas A&M star (and current Texas Ranger farmhand) Barrett Loux. Wallace proceeded to take an errant fastball to the face, fracturing his right orbital bone and crushing his sinus cavity. His coaches and family felt his season and possibly his career were over. After five plates and 41 screws, Wallace lived up to his ‘gamer’ reputation and stepped back into the batter’s box vs Texas-San Antonio and launched two home runs exactly a month to the day after the injury.
Growing up an Astros fan, Houston made Wallace’s lifelong dream come true by drafting the catcher in the 16th round of the 2010 draft. He showed the Astros much better overall skills than the player they thought they chose just months earlier with a combined slash line of .293/.373/.477 along with 10 HR, 40 RBI, and solid defense and quickness for a catcher. Wallace is showing no signs of a slowdown so far in 2011. His 12-hit week was highlighted by a 4-for-5 performance, including a homer and two triples, on April 22nd vs Savannah. He is also the current Class A Sally League leader in total bases (62), HR (7), RBI (22), OBP (.506) and OPS (1.402). If Wallace keeps up the pace, he could make a valid case as the top catcher in the Astros' system and a push to Double-A Corpus Christi is a legitimate possibility before the end of the year.
Honorable Mentions
OF Stephen Hunt, Hi-A Bakersfield (CIN): .500 BA, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 3 2B, 3B, 4 BB, 3 K in 5 games
OF L.V. Ware, Hi-A Lynchburg (ATL): .342 BA, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 4 2B, 3 3B, BB, 8 K, 5 SB in 11 games; 11-for-22, 4 2B, 2 3B, 4 SB in last week
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UTR Minor League NL Pitching Performance of the Week
UTR Minor League AL Performances of the Week
Under the Radar 2011 Archive
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