CarL1 Fayetteville Woodpeckers

Trio of Right-Handers Promoted to Double-A

Published on June 6, 2019 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Fayetteville Woodpeckers News Release


With a flurry of post-draft roster moves around each of their minor league affiliates, the Houston Astros have announced that Tommy DeJuneas, Enoli Paredes, and Yohan Ramirez have all been promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi. Following the promotions, Fayetteville will receive Willy Collado back from Corpus, as well as a pair of right-handers from Single-A Quad Cities, Austin Hansen and Luis Garcia. With the moves, Fayetteville has now sent seven players up to Double-A full time, six of them being right-handed pitchers.

DeJuneas, traded to the Astros for cash considerations last year from Cleveland, has spent the entire season in the bullpen for Fayetteville. While the year started on the right foot for Tommy, a perfect ninth inning in Fayetteville's 15-0 drubbing of Potomac on opening night, the season still had its ups and downs. DeJuneas served up a three-run home run on a single pitch in the third game of the season, as Alex Dunlap walked off the Woodpeckers in Woodbridge. Tommy settled in for four consecutive appearances of high-quality relief, walking none and allowing only one hit over the two week stretch. The string of outings ended abruptly at the start of May, as DeJuneas allowed two runs late to the Down East Wood Ducks as Fayetteville rallied back and forth with their South Division opponent, eventually coming up short. After another two-run relief appearance against Carolina, Tommy locked back in and rattled his longest scoreless stretch of the season, 8 2/3 innings over only three appearances with 11 strikeouts. As DeJuneas attempted to take that momentum into the back end of a dominant start from Paredes, DeJuneas allowed four runs all in the eighth inning, blowing his only save opportunity of the season. Closing out his time in Fayetteville, DeJuneas allowed a run on two hits in the top of the ninth to Winston-Salem, what turned out to be a game-winning run for the Dash, as Fayetteville scored only once in the bottom of the ninth and fell short, 3-2.

Before establishing himself as one of the best arms on the team, Enoli Paredes already etched his name in the Woodpeckers history book, as it was the Dominican-born right-hander who threw out the first pitch in the history of new Segra Stadium. Enoli wowed crowds at the ballpark in Fayetteville, as he may have taken a no-decision in the home opening loss, Paredes still tapped 98 miles per hour on his fastball while logging a season-high nine strikeouts in front of over 6,000 fans. Enoli would go on to win three of his following four starts, and only allowed more than one run in a single appearance on the year. Working in the tandem system for the Houston system with fellow promoted Woodpecker Cristian Javier, the pair of right-handers combined for one of the most dominant days of the year on the mound, as Enoli allowed an unearned run on four hits, he tossed nine more punchouts to go along with Javier's eight. The 17 strikeouts are tied for the most by the Fayetteville staff in a single nine-inning game, and the only instance of just two hurlers reaching that mark. While Paredes' last start may not have been as loaded with strikeouts, it was the most efficient ever seen. Retiring the first 14 batters he faced, Paredes' allowed only two Wilmington Blue Rocks to reach safely, taking them both out on a double play and a caught stealing. As Paredes faced the minimum over the six frames, it was unfortunately DeJuneas who allowed four runs to score in the eighth inning, spoiling the gem.

While the Fayetteville staff, and the Houston organization in general, is already well-known as a team laced with strike-throwers, Yohan Ramirez stood above the rest. While Yohan started slowly compared to other pitchers on staff, he stayed consistent with six punchouts in each of his first three appearances for Fayetteville, and while he only logged four K's in his next appearance, got back to that six strikeout average when he fanned eight in his fifth appearance. After that first month of the season that set the table for Yohan, he set franchise records across the month of May. On the seventh of the month, Yohan launched his way past the Carolina Mudcats on the road, notching 12 strikeouts for his first franchise mark. Twelve days after that first performance, Ramirez added another mark to the records, as he again dismantled the Mudcats, this time at Segra Stadium, as Yohan fanned 11 more batters and allowing only one hit over 6 2/3 innings, a season-long for any Woodpeckers starter at the point. Finishing his time at Segra Stadium with a much more human 12 strikeouts over his final two appearances, Ramirez departs the staff with a team-leading, and league leading 69 strikeouts on the year, with only more on the way for not only Ramirez, but all three right-handers as they depart for south Texas.

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are the Advanced Single-A affiliate of the 2017 World Champion Houston Astros and play in their Inaugural Season at beautiful Segra Stadium in downtown Fayetteville. Segra Stadium, a $40 million state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue, features space for over 5,200 fans, natural grass, a 25x70 LED video scoreboard, six luxury suites, four field boxes, the premium AEVEX Veterans Club level, Healy's Bar and outdoor party deck, a kid's zone, and more. With a rich history of baseball in the city of Fayetteville and Cumberland County, the Woodpeckers are thrilled to write a new chapter with their inaugural campaign on Hay Street. Fans are encouraged to visit FayettevilleWoodpeckers.com to purchase tickets, learn more about the team, and find out about upcoming events and promotions at the ballpark. Fans may also reach the Woodpeckers by visiting the BB&T Box Office in front of Segra Stadium, calling (910) 339-1989, or emailing Woodpeckers@Astros.com.

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