Asher Wojciechowski: Prospect Profile

After Wednesday’s trade that sent Michael Foltynewicz to Atlanta, Asher Wojciechowski is now hands-down the toughest name to pronounce in the Astros farm system. Foltynewicz on the move also opens the door for Wojciechowski as a possibility for the final spot in the rotation entering the 2015 season.

Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the supplemental round of the 2010 draft (41st), Wojciechowski was traded to Houston in a 10-player deal that saw J.A. Happ go to Toronto.

The 6’4″ righty has spent time in Triple-A the past two seasons, pitching well in 2013, to the tune of a 3.56 ERA. Wojciechowski suffered a strained lat in spring training last season, which caused him to miss the first half of the 2014 campaign. Upon returning, he went 4-4 with a 4.74 ERA with Oklahoma City. If he hadn’t have been hurt, Collin McHugh may not have received the call to the big leagues in April, but that’s just speculation.

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MLB Pipeline has this to say, “Wojciechowski throws his fastball in the low 90s, using both sides of the plate well. He mixes it with a slider and changeup, both of which are average offerings. He lacks a true out pitch, limiting his ceiling, but he does a good job of throwing strikes with all of his pitches and does a lot of little things well to help him succeed.”

To elaborate a little more on the righty, ScoutingBook.com has this to say, “Asher Wojciechowski is a strong, solid pitcher whose 94mph fastball comes with some nice natural sink. His secondary pitches need work, of course, but he’s already impressing scouts with his overall gamesmanship and baseball skills. A hard worker with plus smarts, Wojo’s been getting a lot of hard second looks from scouts.”

At 26, this spring could be Wojciechowski’s best shot at making the big-league club. If it were up to me, he would get the longest look out of any of the fifth starter hopefuls in Kissimmee, but Eric has a post planned for this afternoon that is going to argue for a different candidate. Come back and check out who he thinks could be the Astros’ fifth starter.

Also, for those are still wondering how to pronounce his name, it’s wo-jo-HOW-ski.