Site Links
My Links
 
  My Accomplishments
 
 

Latest News 2007

Gritty Avs catcher Towles a throw-back type of player

by; Aaron McFarling

 

A thick layer of dirt stained the front of his uniform and clung to the hairs on his forearms as he walked into the postgame locker room. If J.R. Towles has his way this season, he'll look like this the next 139 times he leaves the field, too.

"I'm hoping so," Towles said after Frederick topped his Salem Avalanche 5-4 on opening night. "This is me right here."

He has his own Web site, jrtowles.net, where you can read about his career, pull up photos of him posing with a dead ram (he loves to hunt) and, for $4.95, even buy a replica of the faith-based bracelet he wears: IBBWJ (Intentional walk with Jesus).

He's a top-step-of-the-dugout-in-the-late-innings guy, a no-batting-gloves-on-a-38-degree-night guy. He's wiry and fidgety, a shot of espresso in a slightly open stance.

Opening night is all about first impressions. And the first impression Salem's J.R. Towles gave Thursday night was pretty clear: You're gonna like him.

How can you not like a former 20th-round draft pick who's worked himself into one of the organization's top prospects? How can you not like a guy who takes time out before games to talk to fans and then spends the next nine innings trying to make them proud?

"I'm lucky to be in the position I'm in," said Towles, a catcher beginning his fourth season in the Houston organization. "I'm doing something a lot of people wish they could do. I'm living a dream."

And he's doing it well.

He can hit for average (.317 at low-A Lexington last year, .346 in Lexington in 2005). He can hit for power (16 home runs last season, home run derby champion at the South Atlantic League all-star game). He can block pitches in the dirt. He can throw out runners.

He can even run a little bit. Towles had 11 stolen bases last year and wasted little time in his Salem debut, swiping second in the first inning.

"It's a bonus," Tom Wiedenbauer, the Astros' minor-league field coordinator, said of the catcher's speed. "I guess the last guy we had like that was Craig Biggio."

Not bad company to keep. And don't bother sniffing around for the "S" word, either. Towles is listed at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds. We should be checking this guy's locker for Dexatrim.

A product of Crosby, Texas, Towles twice passed up opportunities to sign after getting drafted by Oakland. In 2004, he signed with Houston out of junior college and started hustling his way onto the organization's radar. Baseball America rated him Houston's sixth-best prospect this season.

Towles runs hard because that's how he was taught, and you never know who's watching. Among those who were watching Thursday: An announced crowd of 3,334 and Wiedenbauer, who oversees all on-field activity for Houston's minor-league teams.

Towles responded with an RBI single in the third inning that gave the Avalanche their first lead of the young season. Later, as the Avs mounted an eighth-inning rally, he reached and scored a run after hitting a rocket to left field that was scored a two-base error.

"He's got a lot of physical ability," Wiedenbauer said. "But probably his energy level is the biggest thing. I mean, he's on a mission. He plays hard all the time."

Informed of this evaluation, Towles' eyes widened.

"That's news to me," he said, smiling. "They've never told me that. I guess I just play that way because you never know when your last day is going to be."

One thing's certain: His last day wasn't Thursday. And that's good news for Avalanche fans, who have an entire summer to watch this kid roll around in the dirt.
       

JR Wins his Home Run Derby.

(Read Article Click Here!)

Check Out These Photos From the All-Star Weekend

.

 

Crosby High School - Texas

·   MVP

 . 3 time All–District

·   Represented Crosby In The Houston Area Baseball Game

·  Full Baseball Scholarship

· Drafted By Oakland A’s (2002) 

 Junior College-

Collin CC and North Central

· Drafted By Oakland A’s  (2003)

· MVP

· 2 time All Conference

· Rawlings Big Stick Award ( Best JUCO Hitter In The Southern US)

· All–American Honors

· Received Full Baseball Scholarship To Oklahoma State University

· Drafted By Houston Astros 20th Round (2004)

·  BA .484,  OBP .546,  SLG  .588   

     2004 Astro Rookie Year – Greeneville, Tennessee

·  Won Appalachian League Championship

·  2 Time Defensive Player Of The Month Award

2005 Lexington Legends

· 2 Time OPR Player Of The Month

·  Led Team With Highest Batting Average

·  BA .346,  OBP .436,  SLG .549 

2005 Honors

· Best Late Round Pick (Baseball America)

·Best Defensive Catcher (Baseball America)

· #11 Top Prospect Overall In The Astro Organization (Baseball America)

·  2nd Team All-Prospect South Atlantic League (On Deck Baseball Prospect)

·  Rated #5 Batter In The South Atlantic League (On Deck Baseball Prospect)

·  Tough As Nails Award (Alan Awards-Lexington )

Baseball America 2006 Prospect’s Handbook

Towles turned down the Athletics twice, as a 32nd rounder in 2002 and a 23rd rounder in 2003, before signing with the Astros as a 20th rounder in 2004.  After he had a lackluster pro debut at Rookie-level Greenville and needed surgery on the tip of his right index finger after getting hit by a foul ball in instructional league, Houston started him in extended spring training last season.  The plan was to have him repeat Rookie ball  or maybe go to Tri-City But when Lou Santangelo went down with a torn labrum in June, Towles was needed in low Class A, and he responded by emerging as the system’s best catching prospect since John Buck. Towles put on 15 pounds of muscle and moved closer to the plate, and he looked like a different hitter than he had in 2004. He started driving the ball and handled the bat much better. Athletic for a catcher, Towles has average speed and showed bunting and base running ability. He’s also the best all-around defensive catcher in the system.  His receiving and blocking skills are strong, and he has arm strength.  Towles’ pop times from his mitt to second base generally sit at an average of 2.0 seconds because he has a long release, though he did throw out 33 percent of base stealers last year.  Besides his obvious tools, he also has good instincts and a strong work ethic.  Towles could open this year back in Lexington if the Astros want to give him regular action behind the plate, or could move up to high class A if they don’t mind a timeshare arrangement with Santangelo.  

      Year   Club (League         Class      AVG     G      AB     R     H     2B    3B    HR    RB1     BB    SO    SB     OBP     SLG  

      2004    Greeneville (Appy)        R       .243     39    111    17    27       6       0        0          8      12     23       4       .370      .297

      2005    Lexington  (SAL)           A      .346      45    162    35    56     14       2        5         23     16     29      11      .436      .549

       MINOR LEAGUE TOTALS                  .304      84    273    52     83    20       2        5         31     28     52      15      .409      .447

 

 

MINOR LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
 Catcher seeking full set of skills
Starting role suits Towles well at Class A Lexington                                                                           

By BRIAN MCTAGGART
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

When Roger Clemens arrived at spring training last month to pitch a simulated game in minor-league camp, he ran into catcher J.R. Towles in the clubhouse and asked Towles if he knew who would be catching that day.

Towles had no idea at the time that Clemens was looking for him. "I go back in the clubhouse and Dewey Robinson, our pitching coordinator, said I was going to catch," Towles said. "It kind of surprised me, but I took at as a privilege. Not a lot of people get an opportunity to catch a future Hall of Famer."

That was only the beginning of what has been a memorable season so far for Towles, who hit .463 with a home run and 10 RBIs through 13 games for the Class A Lexington Legends.

"He's making progress," Astros director of player development Ricky Bennett said. "He's started to block the ball a lot better and his throws have been much more accurate. He's just getting better all the way around, and a lot of it has to do with him playing and getting the reps."

Towles, 22, has emerged as perhaps the Astros' best young catching prospect. He grew in Crosby and was drafted in the 20th round of the 2004 by the Astros out of North Central Texas College in Gainesville.

After signing, the right-handed hitter batted .243 at rookie-league Greeneville before spending the first half of last season at extended spring training while awaiting a place to play. He went to Lexington in July and hit .346 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 45 games.

Towles — who went 1-for-3 with an RBI on Monday in a 7-4 win over visiting West Virginia — has been pleased with his season so far, especially his defense.

"I think that's my strong point of my game," he said. "I've been doing well there. This year it seems I have a better understanding of what we're trying to do since I played here last year. It makes it a lot easier."

And getting consistent has helped him, too.

"Once he started to play every day he really took off," Bennett said. "He carried it over to the winter to his off-season workout program, and he brought the same attitude and approach into spring training early and he's really done a nice job.

"He's catching every day, gaining a lot more confidence and is swinging the bat well. He's really separated himself from a lot of the other younger guys."

May. 27, 2006

Legends' Towles has been a blessing

CATCHER POSSESSES ALL-AROUND GAME

By Mark Maloney, HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

About 30 minutes before each game, before most fans have reached their seats at Applebee's Park, J.R. Towles heads to the warning track in center field.He takes a knee, then bows his head, just as he has done since his high school days."I just go out there and have a talk with the big man upstairs," said Towles, the Lexington Legends' catcher. "I just ask for our protection and to do the very best I can. ... I just try to use my talents to glorify him."

So far, so good. Through Thursday, Towles was hitting .341 with four homers, 22 RBI and 22 runs, and had a five-game hitting streak. "J.R. Towles has got a well-rounded repertoire of being offensive as well as a good defensive player," Manager Jack Lind said. "He's a lot of fun to watch. He brings a lot of energy to the game." Former Legends manager Russ Nixon, now a roving instructor for the Astros, recalls Towles was full of potential but "thin as a rail" when he first saw him, two years ago. "Now, he's matured both in body and mind," Nixon said, "and you're seeing a pretty darn good-looking ballplayer out there." Towles, now 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, has added 15 pounds of muscle since Nixon's first glance. Most Legends fans would agree that Towles is a good-looking player. So would at least one opposing fan.The Legends played a series earlier this month at West Virginia, where a local celebrity known as "The Toast Man" was hard-pressed to taunt Towles.The Toast Man -- he throws toast to the crowd and yells "you're toast" when a visiting player strikes out -- was relegated to saying Towles' average had dropped 100 points -- all the way down to .370 -- since his previous visit. Toast Man later confided to Towles that he is too good to stay in this league.

J.R. is short for Justin Richard."J.R. just sounds a little better than Justin, I think," he said. "And my mom calls me Justin when I'm in trouble." Ellie Towles, a retired school teacher, doesn't have to call him Justin often. She and Wesley, who is a manager at an industrial supply company in Houston, come to see their son play several times each season. J.R. not only is their favorite, but a fan favorite. His chosen theme song when he goes to bat is If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band). "It has a good beat, it gets the fans into it and it's Texas," he said. Nixon, a former big-league catcher who is in 54th year of pro ball, is into what he sees in Towles.

"He's got all of the qualities and the talent to really go far in this game," Nixon said. "I look for him to be a front-line big-league catcher in the not too (distant) future." Towles was drafted twice by the Oakland A's, in 2002 and 2003, but he opted to play for North Central Texas Junior College. When the Astros took him in the 20th round of the 2004 draft, Towles signed. In his debut pro season, with Greeneville of the Appalachian League, he hit .243 with eight RBI in 39 games. He began 2005 in extended spring training. He came to Lexington in June, when Lou Santangelo was hurt. Towles hit the field in full flight. He hit .346 with five homers and 23 RBI over 45 games. Add to that 11 stolen bases -- very un-catcher-like, and another reason he is listed by Baseball America as the No. 11 prospect in the Astros system.

And his defense may be better than his offense. Baseball America calls him "the best all-around defensive catcher in the (Astros) system," as well as "the system's best catching prospect since John Buck." Towles says the best aspect of his defense is his ability to block the ball. He has a strong, accurate arm. What needs work, he says, is his ability to handle pitchers. "I want to develop that good relationship where they trust me," he said. "I just try to do the very best I can every time." That passion and work ethic figure to carry Towles well past Low-A ball. The only question is when.

Said Nixon: "Enjoy him while you have him here."

A Letter From a Fan...

As a fan of the Lexington Legends and a lover of baseball, I want to take this time to let your family and J.R. know how much I and other fans appreciate the effort that J.R. gave for our team. Before he arrived the Astros chose to take many of the players we needed to be contenders in the SAL. I feel that the team started to doubt themselves. I know the fans were concerned. When J.R. arrived he brought with him a determination to give his all to the game and us fans. I feel he played a big part in bringing the team out of the funk. Though his bat was a great addition to the team I felt that his determination desire and hustle were his biggest contributions. I will always remember the first charge he took at the plate where after the play he showed the ball to the runner. You could feel a change of attitude in the stands and i believe on the field. His work ethic reminds me of one of my heros( Charlie Hustle).

My heart hopes that J.R. is in Lexington next year. My head would like to see in in Salem or higher. Forgive me if I go with my heart. We did not make it to the playoffs or win the big one this year but I believe i enjoyed this year more than i have all previous years except the first. I believe this team's heart was as big as the first year but the first team was the FIRST team.

I hope to see you again next year but, if not I will follow J.R.'s career and hope to see if make it to the SHOW.

Michael Hall

 
 
 
   
 

Home | Contact | About Us | FAQs
Company Name | 1234 Some Street | Anytown, Anystate 12345
Phone: (555) 555-1234
Copyright © 2005. Your Company. All rights reserved.