Astros Call On Express
August 31, 2007 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release
ROUND ROCK - The Houston Astros announced Friday that six players from the Round Rock Express will be called up to Houston by next week. The announcement was made by Houston Assistant General Manager Ricky Bennett.
Outfielders Josh Anderson and Jason Lane, catchers Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles, pitcher Juan Gutierrez and infielder Cody Ransom will all make the move. Anderson will join Houston in Chicago on Saturday, and the remaining players will meet the Astros in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Anderson, 25, was selected by Houston in the fourth round of the June 2003 draft and went on to make four all-star appearances in his first four minor league seasons. Anderson hit .308 with 43 stolen bases for Double-A Corpus Christi in 2006 and became one of just two Express players to reach 40 stolen bases in a season earlier this week.
Lane, 30, has moved back and forth between Round Rock and Houston this year, batting .177 with 26 RBI in 63 games with the Astros. Lane is currently hitting .324 with nine homeruns and 40 RBI through 46 games with the Express.
Quintero, 28, began the season with Houston and batted .237 through 20 games before joining Round Rock in late May. The Venezuela native is batting .335 with a .506 slugging percentage through 50 games with the Express.
Towles, 23, was selected in the 20th round of the 2004 draft. He spent 20 games with Single-A Salem to start the 2007 season before joining Corpus Christi for 61 games. While with the Hooks, Towles batted .324 with 11 homeruns, 47 runs and 49 RBI. The Crosby native entered Round Rock's line-up on Aug. 10 and is 8-for-32 (.250) with hits in eight of his 10 appearances.
Gutierrez, 24, was signed as a free agent by Houston as a 17-year-old. Named a Texas League All-Star in 2006, Gutierrez posted an 8-4 record with a 3.04 earned-run average in his first Double-A season last year. He carved out a 3.93 ERA over 24 starts for the Express and allowed two or fewer runs in 15 of those outings.
Gutierrez made his major league debut on Aug. 19, tossing one hitless inning against the San Diego Padres. He made his first start for Houston on Aug. 23, allowing six runs on 11 hits and four strikeouts over five innings against Washington.
Ransom, 31, previously appeared in 114 games for the San Francisco Giants in 2001, 2003 and 2004, batting .238 with two home runs. He has remained at the Triple-A level for the last three seasons.
A primary third baseman who has also spent time at first base and shortstop this year, Ransom is batting .263 with a Round Rock-best 28 home runs and 89 RBI. He ranks third on the team with 21 stolen bases and has committed just six errors.
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