Gervacio Returns, Astros add 1B Depth

Sammy Gervacio and Brian Dopirak have both been signed to minor league contracts by the Houston Astros. The first, a side-arm throwing reliever, and the second, a righthand hitting first baseman, will both likely start at Triple-A and serve as insurance policies on more high profile players. These are two great moves for the Houston Astros. They’re cost efficient, low-risk high-reward, and fit with Houston’s stance of adding young talent to their farm system. I really like the Brian Dopirak signing. Dopirak is a power hitting first baseman who has proved himself at the Triple-A level. He can step in and help Houston at first if Wallace struggles or serve as the right-handed portion of a platoon with the left-handed Wallace.

Wallace will be given every chance to be the everyday first baseman for Houston but Dopirak is a minimul risk back-up with a potentially substantial ceiling. In 2004, Dopirak hit .301/.363/.593 and 39 homeruns in 137 games in Single-A and then entered 2005 as Baseball America’s 21^st best prospect. Dopirak has certainly fallen from that elite prospect status but has still proven himself an effective hitter at every level of the minors. His career Triple-A line is .296/.331/.476 with 19 homeruns in 138 games. These aren’t stellar, but they’re more than passable; especially for a hitter who hasn’t yet had his 27^th birthday.

I’m extremely pleased to see Sammy Gervacio back in the Astros organization. Gervacio was non-tendered earlier this month after injuries completely decimated his 2010 season and limited him to just 14 total innings between Houston and Triple-A Round Rock. However, it wasn’t long ago the sidearm hurler looked like a force at the back-end of Houston’s bullpen for years to come. In 2009, Gervacio got a taste of the big leagues and struck out 25 batters in 21 innings while posting a 2.14 ERA. Gervacio will most-likely come to spring training and then start the year at Triple-A to build up his arm strength. He’ll serve as a good source of bullpen depth throughout 2011.

Both of these players could be contributing to Houston’s major league club as soon as this season.