Staff Picks: Who Should Be the Astros Opening Day Starter?

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Lyles is the longest tenured arm on the Astros staff. Let that sink in. Jordan Lyles is 22. He is 9 months older than Mark Appel and he has been around the longest. Lyles has been up and down this year, but has shown signs of being really, really good. Sure, he probably doesn’t have the stuff to “justify being an ace”, but he has been here the longest and that counts for a lot in the Majors.

Lyles certainly has not had the numbers of an ace this year. He will probably finish the season with an ERA north of 5 and a WAR of 0. Still, he has been around longer than any other pitcher on the roster and is still only 22. He has worked hard this year and when he is on, you can see why he was a first round draft pick in 2008.

2014 will be Lyles 4th year with time spent on the Astros Major League roster. Could Bo Porter use that as a good enough reason to run Lyles out on Opening Day?