Drew Gilbert makes Double-A debut, Astros prospects play big part of Hooks victory

Corpus Christi Hooks and Houston Astros top prospect Drew Gilbert. The Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A farm club of the Houston Astros, beat the San Antonio Missions 5-2 on Wednesday, April 10, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Corpus Christi Hooks outfielder and Houston Astros top prospect Drew Gilbert in Wednesday night’s second game in San Antonio.
Drew Gilbert, the Houston Astros’ top minor-league prospect, moved up and made an instant impact on Wednesday night at Wolff Stadium in San Antonio.

The Corpus Christi Hooks, the Astros’ Double-A farm club, beat the San Antonio Missions 5-2 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Gilbert recorded his first Double-A RBI in an unusual way in his second plate appearance. He reached base on a catcher’s interference with the bases loaded in the third inning to push across the Hooks’ first run of the game.

Gilbert got his first Double-A hit on a double to center in the top of the seventh inning. He batted second in the order and played center field. In the night’s second game, he went 0-for-3 at the plate and played right field.

The 22-year-old Gilbert was a first-round draft pick by the Astros in 2022. He was batting .360 with with 18 RBIs and six home runs in 21 games in Class A before being promoted to Corpus Christi on Tuesday.

– Colin Barber, the No. 3 prospect in the Astros’ system, was the DH and had three hits including a home run and scored three times in the Hooks’ victory. He is batting .304 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in 21 games.

– Will Wagner, the Astros’ No. 12 prospect, played third base and had a hit and a walk.

– Joey Loperfido, the No. 16 prospect, played second base and had a hit, an RBI and a walk.

– Quincy Hamilton, the No. 22 prospect, played right field and had two hits.

– Hooks starter Rhett Kouba is not listed as one of the Astros’ top-30 prospects but pitched 6 1/3 innings for the win to raise his record to 2-1. He allowed two runs on seven hits with no walks and three strikeouts. He is a 23-year-old right-hander who was a 12th-round draft pick in 2021 from Dallas Baptist.

Corpus Christi Hooks starting pitcher Rhett Kouba. The Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A farm club of the Houston Astros, beat the San Antonio Missions 5-2 on Wednesday, April 10, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Corpus Christi Hooks starting pitcher Rhett Kouba.
Corpus Christi Hooks DH and Houston Astros prospect Colin Barber. The Corpus Christi Hooks, the Double-A farm club of the Houston Astros, beat the San Antonio Missions 5-2 on Wednesday, April 10, 2023, at Wolff Stadium. - photo by Joe Alexander
Corpus Christi Hooks DH and Houston Astros prospect Colin Barber.

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