Player Profile: David Carpenter

Righty reliever David Carpenter was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals as a catcher. A twelfth round pick from West Virginia University in 2006, Carpenter made the switch to pitching in 2008. The Astros acquired Carpenter in 2010 in a trade deadline deal that sent Pedro Feliz to St. Louis. Ed Wade definitely got the best of that particular deal.

Carpenter features a mid-nineties fastball and a slider that is still a work in progress. Carpenter has been successful as a closer in the minors, earning 49 saves in 155 minor league relief appearances. Carpenter was promoted to AA to begin the 2011 season. Fourteen games later he was advanced to AAA where he proved to be virtually unhitable. Carpenter logged 19 consecutive scoreless innings for Oklahoma City before being called-up to the show.

Carpenter is still raw and bases on balls have been his biggest problem. In 43 games with Houston he averaged 4.2 BB/9 IP.  Carpenter was fairly effective overall and finished the season with a 2.93 ERA while striking out more than one batter per inning. If he can harness his control Carpenter could become a fixture in the Astros bullpen. David should see plenty of action in Spring Training and has an excellent shot at making the big league roster come Opening Day.