Justin Richard Towles

Position: Catcher
Bats: Right, Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2", Weight: 200 lb.

Born: February 11, 1984 in Crosby, TX
High School: Crosby HS (Crosby, TX)
Schools: Collin County CC (Dallas, TX), North Central Texas College (Gainesville, TX)
Drafted by the Houston Astros in the 20th round of the 2004 amateur draft.
Signed June 16, 2004. (All Transactions)
Debut: September 5, 2007 (Age 23)   vs. MIL 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Team: Astros 2007-2011
2013 Contract Status: Pre-Arb Eligible (details) [*]
Service Time (01/2013): 2.002, Arb Eligible: 2014, Free Agent: 2017 [*], Agents: Burton Rocks [*]
    About biographical information

• 5/20 CardinalsFarm.com: Jonathan Cornelius dominates again – 5/19 Farm Report: It was a tough day for the Baby Birds as all four teams lost on Sunday. Jonathan Cornelius was the start of the day going 7 innings...
• 5/18 CardinalsFarm.com: Ryan Jackson is on another planet – 5/17 Farm Report: The Baby Birds went 2-2 on Friday as Memphis and Peoria won while Springfield and Palm Beach lost. The story of the night continues...
• 5/17 CardinalsFarm.com: Wacha, Wong, and Jackson lead Memphis – 5/16 Farm Report: The Baby Birds went 3-2 on Thursday as pitching and prospects dominated the action. Kolten Wong, Ryan Jackson, and Michael Wacha...
• 5/14 CardinalsFarm.com: Scruggs and Cornelius lead teams to wins – 5/13 Farm Report: The Baby Birds split the games on Monday as Springfield and Palm Beach won, while Memphis and Peoria lost. The headliners for...
• 5/12 CardinalsFarm.com: Jordan Walton blasts 2, Springfield loses in 20 innings: The Baby Birds went 1-3 on Saturday as Memphis and Springfield lost, while Peoria split a double-header. The Springfield Cardinals...
• 5/11 CardinalsFarm.com: Cody Stanley: St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Promoted: On Saturday, the St. Louis Cardinals promoted catcher Cody Stanley to Double-A Springfield from High-A Palm Beach. This move was...
• 5/11 CardinalsFarm.com: Taveras, Wacha, Piscotty, and Pham have big nights – 5/10 Farm Report: Friday night was a big night for top 20 prospects. Oscar Taveras, Michael Wacha, Ryan Jackson, Thomas Pham, and Lee Stoppelman...
• 5/7 CardinalsFarm.com: Oscar Taveras and Kolten Wong lead Memphis to extra inning rout: The Cardinals affiliates split the games on Monday as Memphis and Peoria won while Springfield and Palm Beach lost. Matt Adams...
• 5/6 CardinalsFarm.com: Jenkins and Scruggs are Players of the Week – Weekly Farm Report: Every Monday, I will provide a Weekly Farm Report that recaps the previous week’s action for all of the Cards’ farm...
• 5/4 CardinalsFarm.com: Ryan Jackson and James Ramsey lone bright spots Friday night: It was another slow night for the Baby Birds. Springfield, Peoria, and the second Palm Beach game were all rained out. Peoria...
• 5/4 CardinalsFarm.com: Ryan Jackson and James Ramsey lone bright spots on Friday: It was another slow night for the Baby Birds. Springfield, Peoria, and the second Palm Beach game were all rained out. Peoria...

• 4/27 i70baseball.com: Cardinals Position of Interest: Organizational Catcher: As our look around the Cardinals’ system, from the roof to the basement continues, we’ll move onto catcher, where the club...
• 4/22 AppyAstros: Jose Cisnero is 14th Greeneville Astro to Get THE Call: Brian McTaggart is reporting that Jose Cisnero is on a plain heading to Houston to join the Astros bullpen. That makes Cisnero...
• 4/17 CardinalsFarm.com: Oscar Taveras falls into a mini-slump: A very solid night for the St. Louis Cardinals’ affiliates as Memphis, Springfield, and Peoria all win. Palm Beach falls...
• 4/17 CardinalsFarm.com: Oscar Taveras falls into a mini-slump – 4/16 Cardinals Farm Report: A very solid night for the St. Louis Cardinals’ affiliates as Memphis, Springfield, and Peoria all win. Palm Beach falls...
• 4/15 CardinalsFarm.com: Mike O’Neill: Baby Bird of the Day – 4/14 – Cardinals Farm Report: Mike O’Neill takes the honors of Baby Bird of the Night for Sunday night. O’Neill went 3-5 with 2 doubles, an RBI,...
• 4/11 CardinalsFarm.com: John Gast and Kyle Hald have solid outings – 4/10 – Cardinals Farm Report: With the Springfield Cardinals off preparing for their 2013 Hammons Field debut, the system was down to three games. Peoria’s...
• 4/10 CardinalsFarm.com: Kolten Wong collects 3 hits as all 4 teams lose – 4/9 – Cardinals Farm Report: For the first time in the year that I have been covering the Baby Birds, we will not have a Baby Bird of the Night. I thought...
• 4/8 CardinalsFarm.com: Patrick Wisdom and Stephen Piscotty lead a power surge – 4/7 – Cardinals Farm Report: Patrick Wisdom is your Baby Bird of the Night for going 3-4 with 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R Team R H E  Oklahoma City  14  17  3  Memphis...
• 4/2 AppyAstros: Progress Report 2004-2007: Since the full season minor league rosters for the Astros were released yesterday, I noticed there is no player in the Astros...
• 4/2 CardinalsFarm.com: Oscar Taveras, Kolten Wong, and Michael Wacha lead the 2013 Memphis Redbirds: The Memphis Redbirds announced their preliminary 2013 opening day roster on Monday and it is full of veterans and top prospects....
• 4/1 MLBTradeRumors: Offseason In Review: St. Louis Cardinals: by MLBTR's Steve Adams The Cardinals didn't make any significant changes, but spent big to retain their own players following...

• 3/27 CardinalsFarm.com: Cardinals Minors Report – 3/26 – Opening Day Rosters are coming into picture: With just 5 days remaining in camp, the Cardinals took on the Mets’ affiliates again. These rosters appear to be more closely...
• 3/27 The Cardinal Nation Blog: Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/26/13Highlights from Tuesday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida. ...
• 3/26 AppyAstros: Going Camping: Making The Roster & Getting Reassigned: Camps are wrapping up and players are starting to learn their fate.  Let's see where things stand going in to the last few...
• 3/25 The Cardinal Nation Blog: Cardinals minor league spring training notebook: 03/25/13Highlights from Monday’s St. Louis Cardinals minor league spring training games in Florida. ...
• 3/21 AppyAstros: Going Camping: Updates from Major League Spring Camps: Well, it is less than two weeks to opening day and we have some movement among former G-Stros in big league spring training. ...
• 3/14 CardinalsFarm.com: Team Preview – Springfield Cardinals: With Spring Training finally underway, I thought I would take a look at projecting the starters for the Cardinals Class AA affiliate...
• 3/13 The Cardinal Nation Blog: Potential reserves for the Cardinals reserves: Who might be next in line if one of the five projected season-opening position player reserves on the St. Louis Cardinals is injured?...
• 3/13 CardinalsFarm.com: The Cardinals Make Two Interesting Roster Moves: As spring training continues, the Cardinals have to get down to 25 players on the active roster by opening day. They have begun...
• 3/4 CardinalsFarm.com: Oscar Taveras and Matt Adams to lead a potent Memphis Redbirds lineup in 2013: With Spring Training finally underway, I thought I would take a look at projecting the starters for the Cardinals Class AAA affiliate...

• 2/27 Puckett's Pond: Minor Twins Signings: Jeff Clement: I love following the players in spring training that sign on with the Twins as minor league free agents. These are the guys that...
• 2/20 Puckett's Pond: Minor Twins Signings: Rafael Perez: I love following the players in spring training that sign on with the Twins as minor league free agents. These are the guys that...
• 2/19 AppyAstros: Going Camping: Former G-Stros Edition: Let's check in on how a few of the former Greeneville Astros are doing in camps around Major League Baseball this spring.Troy...
• 2/12 Redbird Dugout: Meet the NRIs: C J.R. Towles: Justin Robert Towles, or better known as J.R. Towles, is probably best known to Cardinals’ fans as the backup catcher for...
• 2/11 AppyAstros: J R Towles in Making Himself Useful In Cardinals Camp: Pitchers and catchers officially report today!  It appears that former Greeneville Astro J.R. Towles is in camp and finding...
• 2/11 What the Heck, Bobby?: Happy Birthday - 2/11: Happy Birthday to ~ OF Wallace Gonzalez (20) Drafted in the 29th round in 2011 out of high school in California, Gonzalez...
• 2/7 Puckett's Pond: Minor Twins Signings: Bryan Augenstein: I love following the players in spring training that sign on with the Twins as minor league free agents. These are the guys that...
• 2/5 Puckett's Pond: Minor Twins Signings: Tim Wood: I love following the players in spring training that sign on with the Twins as minor league free agents. These are the guys that...
• 2/2 Puckett's Pond: Minor Twins Signings: Brandon Boggs: I love following the players in spring training that sign on with the Twins as minor league free agents. These are the guys that...

• 1/31 Redbird Dugout: Meet the NRIs: C Rob Johnson: Rob Johnson began his professional career as a fourth round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in the 2004 draft. He attended...
• 1/28 El Maquino: CARDINALS SPRING TRAINING ROSTER TRACKER: The 56 birds headed for Major League camp have now been determined.  Follow them all here throughout Spring Training to see which...
• 1/28 Redbird Dugout: Cardinals announce non-roster invites: The St. Louis Cardinals announced this afternoon the 16 players who will receive invitations to join the team in major league...
• 1/18 AppyAstros: 14 Former G-Stros in Big League Spring Training: With yesterday's snow here in Greeneville, thoughts of spring are in the forefront of my mind.  As of today, it appears 13...
• 1/10 AppyAstros: Former G-Stros Involved in Recent Transactions: Now that the season is over, players find out if they are in a teams plans or not.  Sometimes that means a door is opened...

• 12/26 Rays Colored Glasses: Breaking Down the Minor League Catcher Market: Part 4, The Ones That Already Signed: Over the past couple of weeks we have discussed minor league free agent catchers that the Rays could potentially target. One group...
• 12/19 MLBTradeRumors: Minor Moves: Figaro, Indians: We’ll track today’s minor moves here... The Brewers have signed right-hander Alfredo Figaro to a minor league contract...
• 12/19 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Cardinals | J.R. Towles signs: The St. Louis Cardinals signed free-agent C J.R. Towles (Twins) to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training Wednesday,...[+] Dec. 19.
• 12/19 MLBTradeRumors: Cardinals Sign J.R. Towles: The Cardinals have signed J.R. Towles to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, reports Ken Davidoff...
• 12/13 Rays Colored Glasses: Breaking Down the Minor League Free Agent Catcher Market: Part 1, The Prospects: The Rays’ catching situation is far from ideal right now. And short of a shocking big-name free agent signing, there’s...

• 11/1 MLBTradeRumors: Quick Hits: Ankiel, Dempster, Towles, Bourn: If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out Tim Dierkes’ list of the top 50 free agents for the upcoming offseason....

• 9/20 MLBTradeRumors: Astros Notes: Martinez, Bogar, Geith: It was on this day in 2007 that J.R. Towles set a new Astros team record by recording eight RBIs in one game, an 18-1 Houston...

• 6/29 Obstructed View: Series Preview: Houston Astros (32-44) at Chicago Cubs (26-49): When the Cubs visited Houston a month ago, the Astros were a few games below .500 and the buzz around the team was relatively...

• 5/14 Baseball Musings: The Wang Way: Chien-Ming Wang pitched an encouraging game at AAA: Another positive sign: Wang induced 14 ground-ball outs against a lineup that...
• 5/8 Fire Brand of the American League: Matsuzaka fails to go through five in rehab outing: Daisuke Matuszaka wasn’t pleased with his rehab start Monday night for the Pawtucket Red Sox against the Rochester Red Wings....

• 4/4 MLBTradeRumors: Offseason In Review: Minnesota Twins: Terry Ryan returned as Twins GM, attempting to keep his team afloat by dabbling in the middle of the free agent pool. Major...

• 3/31 FanSided: Twins Send Drew Butera to Minors: [caption id="attachment_7276" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Drew Butera will not make the Opening Day Roster. Photo...
• 3/16 Through The Fence Baseball: Twins prospects in the upper minors, part one: the bats: Perusing the blogosphere, it seems there are a few different perspectives on the state of the upper levels of the Twins farm system....
• 3/9 MLB Dirt: 2012 Minnesota Twins Preview2012 Minnesota Twins Preview...

• 2/15 For Baseball Junkies: Who Is Moneyball Working For? Analyzing the Tenure of Billy Beane, GM: Is there any greater indication that "you've made it" than being asked if it would be ok to cast Brad Pitt to play "you" in a...
• 2/15 MLBTradeRumors: Central Notes: Gimenez, Young Twins, Cardinals: Passing along a few notes from the Central divisions, where there was plenty of news earlier today. Kosuke **** found a new home,...

• 1/26 Puckett's Pond: J.R. Towles: Twins Non-Roster Invitee: If you were hoping the Twins would retire Michael Cuddyer‘s number, I have bad news for you. But if you were hoping to see...
• 1/6 Puckett's Pond: MLB Deathmatch: Drew Butera vs JR Towles: This offseason, the Minnesota Twins brought in J.R. Towles to compete with Drew Butera for the 3rd string catching job behind...
• 1/3 MLBTradeRumors: Twins Sign Jason Bulger, Casey Fien, Aaron Bates: The Twins announced that they signed right-handers Jason Bulger and Casey Fien and infielder Aaron Bates to minor league deals...

• 12/15 MLBTradeRumors: Twins Sign Steve Pearce, J.R. Towles: The Twins announced a major signing today, and GM Terry Ryan also stayed busy on the minor league front. The Twins signed Steve...
• 12/15 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Twins | Sign three: The Minnesota Twins signed free-agent 1B Steve Pearce (Pirates), C J.R. Towles (Astros) and P Aaron Thompson (Pirates) to minor...[+] league deals with invites to spring training Thursday, Dec. 15.

• 11/18 Phillies Nation: Schneider and Finances, Fits, Familiarity, Focus: The re-signing of Brian Schneider wasn’t the “sexiest” move the Phillies could have made. It really just maintains the status...
• 11/8 MetsToday.com: Fearless Free Agent Predictions: With the Hot Stove Season in full effect, and free agents dancing around the open market, I give you my fearless free agent predictions...

• 10/13 MLBTradeRumors: Astros Outright Arias, Towles, Valdez: The Astros announced that they outrighted catcher J.R. Towles and right-handers Alberto Arias and Jose Valdez to Triple-A Oklahoma...

• 5/31 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles to see more timeHouston Astros C J.R. Towles will see more playing time with C Humberto Quintero (ankle) on the disabled list....[+] Houston Astros C J.R. Towles will see more playing time with C Humberto Quintero (ankle) on the disabled list.
• 5/28 Roto Think Tank: Gearing Up: N.L. Week 9 May 30-June 5: News and Notes. The San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey, Mike Fontenot, Darren Ford, Brandon Crawford, Brandon Belt, Chris...
• 5/26 COSFBA: Fantasy Baseball News and Notes from May 25th, 2011: Here are some fantasy baseball-relevant tidbits and notes I picked up from box scores and recaps from games played on May 25th,...
• 5/25 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles records three hits, game-winner: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles had three hits, including the go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers...[+] Wednesday, May 25. He broke out of an 0-for-32 slump with the three hits.
• 5/25 Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Army of Oh-Fers & Curse of 9th Inning Doom Dodgers to Defeat: Rafael Furcal, 0-4 (with four left on base). Jamey Carroll, 0-4. James Loney, 0-3 with a walk. Jay Gibbons, 0-3 with a walk. Jerry...
• 5/25 Baseball Musings: For Whom the Bell Towles: J.R. Towles finished off a three-hit afternoon with a double in the bottom of the ninth. That drove in pinch-runner Brian Bogusevic,...
• 5/24 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles working with hitting coach: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles has been working with hitting coach Mike Barnett on getting his hands back, which he hopes will help...[+] him get the bat on the ball sooner. 'I still have confidence in myself,' Towles said. 'I've gone through some down times before, and it's definitely not the worst thing out there. I'm still healthy and still seeing the ball well, and as long as I'm seeing the ball it's going to be OK. I'd really have a problem if I wasn't. I have to keep a good attitude and control what I can control.'
• 5/22 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles continues to struggle at plate: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles went 0-for-4 against the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday, May 22, and has gone hitless in his last 32 at-bats....[+]
• 5/21 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles hitless yet again: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles went hitless in four at-bats Friday, May 20, against the Toronto Blue Jays, extending his hitless...[+] streak to 28 at-bats.
• 5/18 B-R Blog: Fewest career RBI for a player with an 8+ RBI game since 1919: Since 1919, there have been 114 players with at least one game with 8 or more RBI. The 3 players to do it the most are Lou Gehrig,...

• 4/28 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles catching Wednesday: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles was used Wednesday, April 27, to catch SP J.A. Happ. Towles started in place of C Humberto Quintero,...[+] but Astros manager Bradley Mills said the two catchers will still get plenty of work.
• 4/20 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles returns to the lineup: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles (ankle) returned to the lineup Tuesday, April 19, against the New York Mets, and he went 2-for-2...[+] with a pair of walks, reports Steve Campbell, of the Houston Chronicle.
• 4/17 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles likely back Tuesday: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles (ankle) was still not ready to return Sunday, April 17, reports Zachary Levine, of The Houston Chronicle....[+] Towles was scratched Saturday, April 16, and wasn't even a consideration Sunday. He was told to get ready to return Tuesday, April 19, as management had doubts about his ability to get around on pitches.
• 4/17 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles scratched with ankle injury: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles (ankle) was scratched from the lineup Saturday, April 16, due to an ankle injury, and he was replaced...[+] by C Humberto Quintero, according to Zachary Levine of The Houston Chronicle. He has been told to get ready to play Tuesday, April 19.
• 4/13 Obstructed View: Chicago Cubs @ Houston Astros: Time: 7:05 pm CTGamedayB-Ref Preview Cubs wOBA wRC RS Astros wOBA wRC RS Starlin Castro .332 .556 -0.13 Michael...
• 4/12 Obstructed View: Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (4-5) at Houston Astros (2-7): The Cubs roller coaster ride to .500 continues with a trip to Houston to play the Astros. They were swept by the Phillies to start...
• 4/8 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | Two find seats for first time: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles and 1B Brett Wallace each hit their first home runs of the season Friday, April 8, in a loss against...[+] the Houston Astros. Each player also went 3-for-4.

• 3/31 SOX & Dawgs: Afternoon Red Sox Delight - 3/30: For the final time this spring, the Boston Red Sox will play an exhibition game, this one against the Houston Astros at Minute...
• 3/31 SOX & Dawgs: Afternoon Red Sox Delight - 3/30: For the final time this spring, the Boston Red Sox will play an exhibition game, this one against the Houston Astros at Minute...
• 3/29 Blog Red Machine: Injuries Abound in NL Central: Reds fans may be getting a bit jittery considering the rash of injuries that have plagued the starting staff. Well, two injuries...
• 3/28 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles improving: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles (back) took 25 swings off a tee Monday, March 28, and felt fine, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart....[+] Towles and C Humberto Quintero are likely to begin the year sharing duties behind the dish.
• 3/28 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | Two catchers to split time: Houston Astros C Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles will open the season by splitting time behind the plate, according to MLB.com's...[+] Brian McTaggart. 'I don't think it takes a lot to see [Quintero and Towles] have been getting the bulk of that time, and so we're going to see how Towles is and move forward from there,' Astros manager Brad Mills said.
• 3/23 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles, Humberto Quintero could share duties: Houston Astros Cs J.R. Towles and Humberto Quintero are likely to share the duties behind the plate to begin the season, according...[+] to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Quintero will start on Opening Day with SP Brett Myers on the bump. Towles entered Wednesday, March 23, hitting .314 with two home runs and six RBIs while Quintero is hitting .393 with five RBIs. C Carlos Corporan is batting .381.
• 3/18 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | Catchers hitting well : Houston Astros catchers have hit well this spring, according to The Houston Chronicle's Zachary Levine. C J.R. Towles is 9-for-24...[+] (.375) with two doubles and two home runs, while C Carlos Corporan is 7-for-15 (.467).
• 3/16 Through The Fence Baseball: Astros Quick Hits: Springing Forward: Daylight savings came and went this weekend, and Astros (6-13) fans are looking forward, not behind, as Spring Training moves...
• 3/10 MLBTradeRumors: Astros Tempering Pursuit Of Nationals' Flores : The Astros are cooling their pursuit of a potential trade for Nationals catcher Jesus Flores, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Reports...
• 3/8 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles homers Tuesday: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles went 1-for-3 with a home run in spring action Tuesday, March 8, according to the Houston Chronicle's...[+] Steve Campbell. Towles said he is hitting with his hands a little lower this year.
• 3/7 MLBTradeRumors: Astros Willing To Stretch Payroll For Catcher Addition: Though the Astros are already $2MM over their 2011 payroll target, owner Drayton McLane and GM Ed Wade met yesterday "to set financial...
• 3/4 MLBTradeRumors: The Astros' Catching Options: Jason Castro's 2011 season came to a quick end when the news broke that Castro had suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.  The...
• 3/4 Call to the Pen: How Will the Astros Replace Jason Castro?: It seems odd to be writing about the difficulties of replacing a player who hit a rather abysmal .205/.286/.287 last year, but...
• 3/4 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | Two to battle at catcher: Houston Astros C Humberto Quintero and C J.R. Towles will be battling at catcher with C Jason Castro (knee) out, MLB.com's Brian...[+] McTaggart reports. Towles will be getting more reps at catcher now, rather than being tried out at other positions.
• 3/3 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | Jason Castro likely headed for surgery: Houston Astros C Jason Castro (knee) has been diagnosed with a medial meniscus tear of his right knee and will likely need to...[+] undergo surgery to fix it, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The team is unsure how long Castro will be out if he needs the surgery. Castro underwent an MRI exam Thursday, March 3. The team's other catchers on roster include Cs Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles.

• 2/28 B-R Blog: Batter Games With RE24 = 6+ Since 1973: Since 1973, here are the games where a batter's RE24 for the contest was 6 or better. The list - Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt PA...
• 2/25 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles takes grounders at first: Houston Astros C J.R. Towles took ground balls at first base Friday, Feb. 25, and will see some time at third base and in the...[+] outfield this spring, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Manager Bradley Mills said Towles could play first in some spring games.

• 1/27 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | Two avoid arbitration: The Houston Astros avoided arbitration with 3B Chris D. Johnson and C J.R. Towles Thursday, Jan. 27, by agreeing to one-year,...[+] $424,000 deals with both players, according to the Houston Chronicle's Zachary Levine.

• 6/26 Baseball Press: Under the Radar - NL-Only (Week 13): Gaby keeping South Florida hot. (AP) Each week Baseball Press will be providing some Under the Radar fantasy...

• 5/5 MLBTradeRumors: If The Astros Become Sellers: The Astros are ten games under .500 and 9.5 games back in the NL Central.  84% of the season remains, so they've got plenty...
• 5/5 KFFL.com Hot off the Wire: Astros | J.R. Towles sent downHouston Astros C J.R. Towles was optioned to Double-A Corpus Christi, The Associated Press reports. ...[+] Houston Astros C J.R. Towles was optioned to Double-A Corpus Christi, The Associated Press reports.