Hooks Baseball Podcast

Ken Schrom worked 43 years in professional baseball, as both a standout pitcher and accomplished front office executive. Schrom's tenure with the Hooks spanned 16 seasons, including 11 as team president. A football and baseball star at the University of Idaho, Ken earned Texas League Executive of the Year honors in 2005 and was inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame in 2016. Schrom pitched seven seasons in Major League Baseball with Toronto, Minnesota and Cleveland, earning American League All-Star honors in 1986. Greg Rajan (31:40), now a senior editor with the Houston Chronicle, covered the first eight years of Hooks Baseball for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. With Hunter Pence announcing his retirement this past weekend, Rajan presents us an oral history of the Hooks' 2006 Texas League Championship season. 

Korey Lee, Houston’s first round pick from a year ago, was a late addition to the Astros reserve camp at Whataburger Field. In 2019, Lee hit .338 with 27 extra-base hits, 57 RBIs and a 1.045 OPS in 51 games during his junior campaign at Cal. Boasting a powerful arm behind the plate, the San Diego native threw out 44% of runners attempting to steal for the Golden Bears. After signing with Houston, Lee played in 64 games for Tri-City of the short-season New York-Penn League. He is listed by MLB Pipeline as a top-5 prospect in the Astros system. Nick Tanielu (18:33), a member of the Astros 2020 postseason player pool, saw action in 125 ballgames for the Round Rock Express last year, slugging 39 doubles, 19 home runs while driving in 84 runs as the E-Train reached the PCL finals. A career .295 hitter, Tanielu has logged four full seasons in the minors, helping his teams win 60% of their games. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (37:25), now in his 17th season covering the Houston Astros, provides an update on the big club as we approach the final weekend of the regular season. 

Shortstop Jeremy Pena, listed by MLB.com as the No. 5 prospect in the Houston system, is a recent addition to the Astros player pool at Whataburger Field. Pena, a 3rd round pick in 2018 out of the University of Maine, has earned two league all-star selections in his first two years as a pro. Colton Shaver (17:33) clubbed 50 extra-base hits in 113 games between High-A Fayetteville and Double-A Corpus Christi last season, while getting his first reps as a professional backstop. Outfielder Jake Meyers (37:21) was a two-way star at the University of Nebraska, and was selected by the Astros in the 13th round round of the 2017 draft. His 2019 exploits include a Carolina League All-Star nod. 

This week at Whataburger Field, we caught up with Astros Triple-A manager Mickey Storey, who led the Round Rock Express to 84 wins and a trip to the Pacific Coast League finals in 2019. Hard-throwing right-hander Shawn Dubin (19:38) carved out a 3.58 ERA while averaging over 12 strikeouts per 9 innings in A-ball last year, earning him a place in the Astros 2020 player pool. CCISD Superintendent Dr. Roland Hernandez (29:58) speaks about the resumption of in-person learning and high school athletics, as well as the district's bond initiative which will be voted on this November. 

Astros Broadcaster Robert Ford opens this week’s show. Ford, now in his 7th season with the ballclub, teams with Steve Sparks and Matt Boltz to bring you Astros Baseball on the radio. We then welcome Houston’s Senior Director of Business Operations, Dan O’Neill (31:52). Dan has worked with the Astros for eight seasons. He currently runs the club’s minor league operations in Corpus Christi, Fayetteville, North Carolina and West Palm Beach, Florida.

Astros Assistant Strength Coach Taylor Rhoades speaks about the professional sports experience in 2020. Taylor also dives into the advances in the strength and conditioning trade since he arrived on the scene with Houston in 2014. KIII-TV3 Sports Director Chris Thomasson (24:31) on the Gabe Cooley tragedy, high school football and the improbable run by the injury-plagued Astros.

Catching prospect Michael Papierski speaks about life as an Astros reserve training at Whataburger Field. And we check in with 2018 Texas League Manager of the Year and Houston first base coach Omar Lopez (9:00).

We lead off Episode 20 with a look at hard-throwing right-hander Luis Garcia, considered my MLB.com as a top 10 pitching prospect in the Astros system. Recent acquisition Fernando Rodney (7:56), aiming for his 18th season in the Major Leagues, speaks time at the Astros alternate training site – Whataburger Field. And we check in with two-time Texas League All-Star and former league pitcher of the Year Chase De Jong (11:07), who like Rodney, was recently picked up by Houston from the Sugar Land Skeeters.

With the Hooks’ Celebrate Whataburger Collection unveiled, JD Davis gives an inside look at how the campaign was created. Astros Assistant General Manager Pete Putila (16:15) checks in to update listeners on what’s happening at the club’s alternate training site, Whataburger Field. And Michael Coffin talks baseball on the radio with producer/engineer Matt Boltz (25:18), now in his sixth season with the Astros and his 20th in Major League Baseball.

This week, we take you inside the Astros workouts at Whataburger Field. Infielder Taylor Jones discusses what it was like to make his Major League debut. Right-handed pitcher Brett Conine (5:49), who climbed three levels to reach the Texas League last season, checks in with an update on how he is progressing this summer.  Fundamentals coordinator Jason Bell (11:16) breaks down how the Astros are preparing their reserve roster in Corpus Christi. And pitching coordinator Bill Murphy (18:27) offers his insight on a few of Houston’s prospects, including Cristian Javier who tamed the Dodgers in his first Major League start on Wednesday.