Ranking the Houston Astros Non-Roster Pitching Invitees Chances to Break Camp
The Astros have a lot of interesting non-roster invitees. They also invited some pitchers with some good potential.
In total, the Astros invited nine pitchers to spring training: Douglas Arguello, Ross Wolf, Gustavo Chacin, Jose Valdez, Casey Fien, Pat Urckfitz, Sammy Gervacio, Fernando Rodriguez and, of course, Jordan Lyles.
Out of these, Lyles is no doubt the most anticipated, being one of the top-ranked minor league pitching prospects in the game. However, all of these pitchers have a legitimate chance to make the big leagues.
There is one spot available in the starting rotation which is basically being battled for between Ryan Rowland-Smith, Nelson Figueroa, Aneury Rodriguez, Lance Pendleton and Jordan Lyles.
There are also a few spots available in the bullpen that these pitchers have a chance to fill. This is a list ranking all of these pitchers who have the best chance to get on the team, whether to start the season or join part way through, in the starting rotation or in the bullpen.
9: Fernando Rodriguez
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Fernando Rodriguez was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 18th round in 2003. Rodriguez is a 6'3" righty with a single major-league appearance under his belt. He pitched two-thirds of an inning giving up two earned runs against the Yankees in 2009.
After this past season he was granted free agency by the Angels and he was signed by the Astros four days later. He has been going downhill since 2004 but he is a big strikeout pitcher.
Last season at Salt Lake, Fernando posted a 4-6 record in 31 appearances with a 5.92 ERA and a good 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
He is just entering his prime now at the age of 26, so if he can't crack a major league squad soon, then he will most likely hover around the minors for the rest of his career.
In my opinion, the best chance that Fernando has of getting into the majors is if a series of injuries occur to the bullpen and he is one of the last resorts.
8: Ross Wolf
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Ross Wolf was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 2001 but never signed. The following year Wolf was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 18th round and he was able to sign with the team.
Ross has flashed some signs of greatness while other times he has been just an average pitcher. He played with the Marlins in 2007, making 14 relief appearances while recording an 11.68 ERA. He was with the A's last season, making 11 relief appearances and recording a 4.26 ERA.
He has been bumped around a lot, playing for three different teams in the last two seasons. He has been inconsistent, fantastic on some minor league teams while terrible on others.
Wolf was granted free agency by the Orioles this offseason and the Astros picked him up hoping that he will flash his dominance not only in spring training, but also during the regular season.
However, he is too inconsistent to be ranked much higher on the list. This might be one of his last best chances to make a major-league squad considering that he is 28, which means he should be playing the best baseball of his life.
7: Douglas Arguello
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Douglas Arguello was born in Nicaragua in 1984 which would make him 26 years old. He has been with the Astros organization since 2003.
He has thrown quality pitches throughout his career and has been pretty consistent. In his eight seasons with the team, Arguello has gone 40-41 with a 4.08 ERA, a 1.365 WHIP and a quality 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
He is a starter in the minors but with the final spot in the rotation down to five other pitchers, the best he could possibly get with the team would be a spot in the bullpen.
6: Jose Valdez
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Jose Valdez was signed by the Yankees in 2000 as an international free agent. He was acquired by the Astros following the 2009 season as a free agent and he has shown some promise.
He is a lanky 28-year-old right-hander who has a high strikeout rate. Last season, Valdez had an impressive 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings but only pitched 13 innings due to an injury.
He isn't very durable and he hasn't been known to be able to pitch for long periods of time. At the age of 28, he has never cracked the majors, so he is running out of time.
In eight seasons in the minor leagues, Valdez has gone 35-31 with a quality 3.46 ERA, a 1.285 WHIP and an impressive 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings. He has a great chance to make the bullpen. OK, maybe not to start the season, but if he produces big in the minors and an injury occurs, he could be getting a call.
Unfortunately for him, he has some better pitchers blocking him from his best chance of making a major league squad.
5: Pat Urckfitz
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Pat Urckfitz was signed in 2008 as an undrafted free agent after leading Monroe Community College to third place in the JUCO World Series.
In three seasons in the minor leagues, Urckfitz has recorded 10 wins, 11 losses, a quality 3.42 ERA and an impressive 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
The only reason why he isn't further up on this list is because Gustavo Chacin, next up on the list, has experienced some success on the major league level.
At only 22, Urckfitz has plenty of time to grow and develop into a stronger player. If he doesn't make the team this year, 2012 looks pretty good for him to make his debut.
4: Gustavo Chacin
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Gustavo Chacin was signed as an amateur free agent in 1998 with the Toronto Blue Jays, so he has plenty of experience on the minor and major league levels. He has only cracked the majors five different seasons, including this past season with the Astros.
As I said in the previous slide, the only reason why Chacin is ranked above Urckfitz is due to his major-league experience with the team. Last season, Gustavo appeared in 44 games, all in relief, recording 31 strikeouts with a 4.70 ERA.
Those numbers aren't that impressive but he still provided some stability in the bullpen against left-handed batters. There are a good number of candidates in front of Chacin, but if those players falter, he could very easily get a call in 2011.
3: Casey Fien
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Casey Fien was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 20th round in the 2006 amateur draft.
He has made 11 appearances in the major leagues with the Tigers but he has an ugly 8.36 ERA and an unimpressive 1.643 WHIP.
However, in the minors Fien has shown a lot of promise. In five minor league seasons, Casey has a 17-9 record, 42 saves, a 2.94 ERA and an impressive 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
Last season at AAA Toledo in the Tigers organization, Fien had a 2.60 ERA with eight saves and a 1.075 WHIP.
The Astros are hoping that with a little more experience, Fien will develop into a quality reliever for the team. However, he is on the downside at the age of 27, which means that these are the best years of his baseball career. If he can't deliver now, then he most likely won't ever make a major league squad.
2: Sammy Gervacio
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Known for his abnormal wind-up, Gervacio has high hopes to make the bullpen for the Astros for the third-straight season. He was signed by the Astros as an amateur free agent in 2002 as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic.
He made his major league debut in 2009 pitching in 29 games, all in relief, with 21 innings pitched, recording a 2.14 ERA and 25 strikeouts, giving him an average of 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
However, this past year Gervacio was only able to make six appearances before going onto the disabled list with arm troubles.
He still has an excellent shot at making the bullpen again due to his past success with the team, but if he can't recover from his injury, then he'll probably stay in the minors for another season. At 26 years old, he still has plenty of time to recover and come back strong.
1: Jordan Lyles
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Jordan Lyles was drafted during the first round of the 2008 draft. He is currently one of the most hyped-up pitching prospects in the game and the Astros are hoping that the expectations follow through.
Lyles has a full repertoire of great pitches. He made AAA when he was only a teenager. He is only 20 years old so the sky is the limit for Lyles and his potential. Although he hasn't posted a record above .500 in the minors, he has posted a 3.54 ERA and a 1.302 WHIP and an average of 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
He is currently in the fight for the fifth-and-final spot in the starting rotation and he has a small chance of making the bullpen.
Although the spot might go to Nelson Figueroa for the time being, Lyles will no doubt come back to start off 2012 on the opening day roster when he is more developed.
In Houston, Jordan Lyles is one of the most highly-anticipated pitching prospects since the days of Roy Oswalt.
Astros fans have plenty to be excited about with this young pitcher.
