Houston Hopeful- Xavier Cedeno

Left-hander Xavier Cedeno has been invited to Spring Training and will compete for a spot in the Astros bullpen. Cedeno (25) was outrighted last October but re-signed a minor league contract later that same month after passing through waivers unclaimed.

Cedeno began his career as an 18 year-old in the Colorado Rockies organization. Used exclusively as a starter in his first four seasons, Cedeno was moved to the bullpen in 2009. The 6 foot 1 inch, 165 pound native of Puerto Rico was released by Colorado after the 2009 season and did not play in 2010. The Astros signed Cedeno prior to the 2011 season and inserted him into the rotation at AA Corpus Christi. Cedeno performed admirably at Corpus, fanning nearly one batter per inning, and was selected to the All-Star squad.

Cedeno’s performance earned him a promotion to AAA Oklahoma City where he made three starts and nine relief appearances. Cedeno made his big league debut in September and was knocked around a bit. Brad Mills views Cedeno as a possible lefty specialist in 2012. He will compete against Fernando Abad, Sergio Escalona, and Wesley Wright for a bullpen spot. Cedeno should be considered a longshot to break camp with the big club. His career minor league numbers (6.8 K & 3.9 BB/9 IP and a 1.481 WHIP) are not those of a highly touted prospect.