Korey Lee: Corpus Christi Hooks catcher and Houston Astros prospect

Corpus Christi Hooks catcher Korey Lee, the Houston Astros' No. 5 prospect, playing against the San Antonio Missions on June 30, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Korey Lee, the Houston Astros’ No. 5 prospect, playing against the Missions on June 30, at Wolff Stadium.
Corpus Christi Hooks catcher Korey Lee is the No. 5 prospect in the Houston Astros organization, according to MLB.com.

The 22-year-old from California showed what he could do at Wolff Stadium, hitting a home run against the San Antonio Missions on July Fourth.

Lee open this season with Class A Ashville and batted .330 with three home runs in 29 games. He has played in 23 games in Double-A Corpus Christi, batting .305 with seven home runs.

The 6-foot-2 catcher was a first-round draft pick, No. 32 overall, by the Astros in 2019.

He played in rookie league in the summer of 2019 and batted .268 with three home runs in 64 games. He doesn’t have any stats for 2020 due to the covid shutdown of the minors.

The Missions and Hooks play a six-game series in Corpus Christi beginning tonight.

Rangers’ Brock Holt plays against Missions again

The Texas Rangers' Brock Holt playing for the Frisco Rough Riders against the San Antonio Missions on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
The Texas Rangers’ Brock Holt playing for Frisco against the San Antonio Missions on Wednesday at Wolff Stadium.
Texas Rangers third baseman played a second straight game at Wolff Stadium on Wednesday night as part of his rehab assignment with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders.

Holt went scoreless against the Missions, but was making solid contact in his at-bats.

The 10-year major league veteran is working his way back from a hamstring injury. Reports indicated he would spend two games with the RoughRiders.

Texas Rangers prospect Hans Crouse makes Double-A debut pitching against Missions

Texas Rangers prospect Hans Crouse pitching for the Frisco RoughRiders against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium on May 18, 2021. - photo by Joe Alexander
Texas Rangers prospect Hans Crouse pitching for the Frisco RoughRiders against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium on May 18, 2021.
Four years ago, the Texas Rangers picked Hans Crouse in the second round of the amateur baseball draft.

The Rangers gave the high school pitcher from California a million-dollar-plus signing bonus that marked him as one of the team’s big hopes for the future.

Tuesday night, the 22-year-old Crouse pitched at the Double-A level for the first time as the Frisco RoughRiders’ starter against the San Antonio Missions at Wolff Stadium.

In his first game since Aug. 26, 2019, the 6-foot-4 right hander pitched one inning and retired the Missions in order while striking out one batter. According to the Prospect Times, Crouse threw 11 pitches, with eight of them strikes.

The Rangers already had another pitcher warming up when the game started, so it looks like the one-inning appearance was part of the team’s plan.

Crouse pitched in 19 games in 2019 in Class A ball, despite reportedly dealing with bone chips in his elbow. He recorded a 6-1 record with a 4.41 ERA. His last game before Tuesday night was August 26, 2019.

Will Dallas Cowboys’ good fortune turn into a curse?

The Dallas Cowboys had no reason to expect or deserve the good luck that fell into their laps on the first day of the 2020 NFL draft.

With just about everybody, including probably even Jerry Jones, assuming the Cowboys would grab a defensive player on Thursday, one of the top offensive players in the draft slid down to their No. 17 pick.

There were three wide receivers in the draft who where viewed as game-changers:
CeeDee Lamb of Oklahoma
Jerry Jeudy of Alabama
Henry Ruggs of Alabama

It seemed like a bit of a longshot for any one of them to still be around when the Cowboys picked. And the last one left standing was expected to be Ruggs, the smallest of the three.

Once the Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas/Wandering Minstrel Raiders took the speedy Ruggs with the 12th pick, even that possibility was out the window.

And yet…

When the Cowboys went on the clock at No. 17 and Lamb was somehow still available, the Dallas front office couldn’t pass him up.

So that’s the good news. The Cowboys got a great player at relative bargain considering where they picked.

The possible bad news?

The areas of concern on the Dallas roster entering the draft remain areas of concern heading into the second round.

Priorities are defensive backs, an edge rusher, and to a lesser extent an offensive lineman or two.

Ultimately, how the Cowboys are judged on taking Lamb in the first round will be connected to how the team bolsters the defense on the second day of the draft.

With that in mind, here is what the second and third rounds could have in store for the Dallas roster.

There are four first-round level defensive talents that are still available going into Friday night who fit what the Cowboys need:
safety Xavier McKinney of Alabama
edge A.J. Epenesa of Iowa
cornerback Jaylon Johnson of Utah
edge Yetur Gross-Metos of Penn State

The Cowboys pick 19th in the second round – 51st overall. All four the the players just mentioned will probably be gone unless the Cowboys trade up. In fact, McKinney might have been the guy the Cowboys took in the first round if Lamb hadn’t been there.

If the Cowboys go strictly by need, their second-round pick will be a cornerback. After Johnson, here are some other cornerbacks to look for in the second round:
Trevon Diggs, Alabama
Kristian Fulton, LSU
Bryce Hall, Virginia
Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech

Safeties who could be there for the Cowboys in the second round include:
Antoine Winfield Jr. of Minnesota
Grant Delpit of LSU
K’Von Wallace of Clemson.

There are enough edge rushers in the draft that the Cowboys could get a contributor there in the third round. By then Gross-Matos and Epenesa will be long gone. Dallas picks 18th in the third round, No. 82 overall. One mock draft I saw had the Cowboys taking edge Alton Robinson of Syracuse at that spot.

If the Cowboys look for an edge rusher in the second or third rounds without trading up, here is a pool of names they could draw from:
Marlon Davidson of Auburn
Jabari Zuniga of Florida
Curtis Weaver of Boise State
Bradlee Anae of Utah
Josh Uche of Michgan
Trevis Gipson of Tulsa
Julian Okwara of Notre Dame
Darrell Taylor of Tennessee
Alex Highsmith of Charlotte
Anfernee Jennings of Alabama

My prediction:

– in the 2nd round the Cowboys take cornerback Kristian Fulton of LSU

– in the 3rd round the Cowboys take edge rusher Bradlee Anae of Utah

The Cowboys must choose well at the Nos. 51 and 82 picks. Otherwise, Lamb and the Dallas offense might not be able to score enough touchdowns to match what the defense gives up.

Looking ahead at the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL draft

With the NFL draft less than a month away, I’m trying to figure out what the Dallas Cowboys will do – especially with their first pick at No. 17 overall.

Most of the NFL mock drafts have the Dallas Cowboys taking a defensive back with their first pick, No. 17 overall. The favorite is cornerback C.J. Henderson from Florida. Also seeing LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton and Alabama safety Xavier McKinney.
Alabama safety Xavier McKinney – YouTube video

I’ve seen a couple of NFL mock drafts that have the Dallas Cowboys taking an edge rusher with the first pick, No. 17 overall – either K’Lavon Chaisson from LSU or A.J. Edpenesa from Iowa.
LSU edge K’Lavon Chaisson – YouTube video

If I’m the Dallas Cowboys, I don’t pick an edge rusher in the first round unless I believe your player is a real game-changer. There will be a lot of edge rushers available in the second round.

There are three receivers in the NFL draft who are rated above everyone else: Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Alabama’s Henry Ruggs. Expect all three to be gone before the Cowboys pick at No. 17.
Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb – YouTube video

I would love to see Iowa OT Tristan Wirfs available for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL draft. Doesn’t seem likely he is still around at No. 17. Most mock drafts I have seen have him picked in the top 10 and even the top 5.
Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs – YouTube video

Expect the Dallas Cowboys to pick a cornerback in the first round of the NFL draft, probably Florida’s C.J. Henderson, Alabama’s Trevon Diggs or LSU’s Kristian Fulton.
Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson – YouTube video

Look for the Dallas Cowboys to pick an edge rusher in the second round and offensive lineman, focusing on center, in the third round of the NFL draft.
Florida edge Jabari Zuniga – YouTube video