Astros prospect catches on quickly

Along with Babe Ruth, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel is one of a select few players in baseball history to have made the majors as a full-time pitcher and full-time position player.

Brian Bogusevic has yet to play in the big leagues, but the Round Rock Express outfielder also is trying to make the transition from pitcher to position player.

About a year into the experiment, the results have been impressive.

After being told in July 2008 that he was being moved from the mound to the outfield, the 2005 first-round draft pick of the Houston Astros batted .371 with three home runs, 20 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 51 games for Double-A Corpus Christi.

A former standout two-way player at Tulane, Bogusevic then hit .338 in 22 games in the Arizona Fall League and entered this season rated the best outfield prospect in the Astros' farm system and their No. 4 prospect overall.

Bogusevic, who went 14-21 with a 5.06 ERA in 77 games over parts of four seasons in Single A and Double A, hasn't disappointed in his first year in Triple A.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 215-pounder is batting .277 with six homers, three triples, 20 doubles and 48 RBIs for the Express. He is second on the team in stolen bases with 17 in 20 attempts.

"Playing every day definitely suits my personality better," the soft-spoken Bogusevic said Tuesday at Cashman Field before going 1-for-3 with a stolen base in the Express' 5-4 win over the 51s. "I definitely enjoy this more."

Bogusevic made 17 starts last year for Corpus Christi, compiling a 2-6 record with a 5.50 ERA in his first full season in Double A, before getting moved to the outfield.

"I was a little bit surprised, but I'd thought about it before. It wasn't completely out of the blue," the 25-year-old said. "I was excited to start something new. It's been fun."

Round Rock manager Marc Bombard has been impressed with the progress Bogusevic has made in a short time.

"In retrospect, he's only had a half year at Double A as a position player. This is his first test at the Triple-A level, and he's held his own pretty darn good for being a pitcher all his life," Bombard said. "He's a good athlete. You don't see too many guys do what he's been able to do."

Bombard said Bogusevic still has a lot to learn, but "he's got a lot of positives in his favor."

"Triple A isn't easy, and they've thrown him right in here. He hasn't been intimidated, and he's competed well," Bombard said. "He's got a good ceiling to him, so down the road, hopefully he'll get an opportunity to play up there."

Bogusevic, who is on the Astros' 40-man roster, said he has been inspired by Ankiel's successful transition to the field.

"It's nice to see somebody's done it before, that it's not an impossible thing to do," he said.

• NOTES -- The Toronto Blue Jays recalled 51s outfielder Travis Snider and optioned utilityman Joe Inglett to Las Vegas. ... Outfielder Adam Calderone was promoted to the 51s from Double-A New Hampshire, and catcher C.J. Ebarb was promoted to Las Vegas from Single-A Dunedin.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.