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A look at the Houston Astros improved starting pitching in 2014
(Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
A big reason for the Houston Astros’ 18-game improvement in 2014 was their terrific starting pitching. Led by pitching coach Brent Strom, who The Houston Chronicle is reporting will be brought back next year as part of new manager A.J. Hinch‘s staff, the Astros made a huge turnaround on the mound this season. In 2014, Houston’s starting pitchers combined for a 3.82 ERA after having a 4.72 ERA in 2013. In fact, only the Cardinals, Nationals, Dodgers, and Astros had two starters with at least 150+ IP and a sub-3.00 ERA this season (Houston’s were Keuchel and McHugh).
At the end of the year, the rotation consisted of Dallas Keuchel, Scott Feldman, Collin McHugh, Brett Oberholtzer, Brad Peacock, and Nick Tropeano. Those are the six guys who made the biggest impacts and have the best chance of making the rotation next season. Jarred Cosart and Lucas Harrell made a few starts earlier in the year, but are no longer a part of the team. The Astros also got a couple spot starts from Jake Buchanan, Sam Deduno, and Rudy Owens, but those pitchers aren’t really in the mix moving forward.
This offseason, the Astros will have to completely rebuild their bullpen (which was last in MLB with an ERA of 4.80) and they could also spend some money on a front-of-the-line starter. However, I think Houston will bring back a very similar rotation as last year, but have Tropeano as the fifth starter instead of Peacock. There’s also Mike Foltynewicz, who could become a front-line starter, and a few minor league candidates (like Asher Wojciechowski) that the Astros may consider in 2015.
For now, let’s focus on and review the six-man rotation they closed the season with (Keuchel, Feldman, McHugh, Oberholtzer, Peacock, and Tropeano) and see how each one of their pitchers performed in 2014:
(Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)
Keuchel went 12-9 with a 2.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, .252 BAA, and 6.57 K/9 ratio. He was the team’s best pitcher all year and the first Astro to throw 200+ innings (he had exactly 200) in a season since 2011. Keuchel piled up 146 strikeouts while allowing 187 hits, 48 walks, 65 earned runs, and 11 home runs in 29 starts. He won the Astros’ Pitcher of the Year Award from the Houston Chapter of the BBWAA and was second in the league in complete games (five), 11th in WAR, and 20th in ERA.
The Astros shut down Keuchel one start early after giving him a large workload this season. He will definitely be back with the Astros next year and at the top of their rotation once again. The 26-year-old lefty from the University of Arkansas will be entering his fourth year in the majors in 2015 and the organization will be expecting another great season.
(Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
Feldman went 8-12 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, .266 BAA, and 5.34 K/9 ratio. He was a nice veteran presence in the rotation and proved to be a good signing for GM Jeff Luhnow. Feldman finished with 107 strikeouts while allowing 185 hits, 50 walks, 75 earned runs, and 16 homer runs in 29 starts (180.1 innings pitched). He finished the season with seven straight quality starts and the lowest ERA in a full single-season in his MLB career. He was also the Astros’ recipient of the Darryl Kile Good Guy Award, which is awarded by the Houston Chapter of the BBWAA.
Feldman threw two complete games and one shutout in 2014. He signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Astros last December and will be entering his 11th season in 2015. The Astros may explore moving the 31-year-old, but I expect he will ultimately be back next season and a part of the Astros rotation.
(Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
McHugh went 11-9 with a 2.73 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, .208 BAA, and 9.14 K/9 ratio. He was a terrific surprise as a young arm and finished with MLB’s highest rookie pitching WAR (3.4). He struckout 157 batters while allowing 117 hits, 41 walks, 47 earned runs, and 13 home runs in 25 starts (154.2 innings pitched). He needed just 5.1 more innings to qualify among AL pitching leaders, but would have ranked sixth in ERA and sixth in strikeout percentage (25.4%). He was also named the Astros’ Rookie of the Year.
The 27-year-old McHugh went 7-0 with 66 inning pitched, 55 strikeouts, seven walks, and a 1.77 ERA in his final 10 starts of the 2014 season. He should be in the mix for AL Rookie of the Year with Chicago’s Jose Abreu and New York’s Masahiro Tanaka. Although it’s unlikely he wins the award, McHugh was an incredibly nice surprise for the Astros this season and will be a big part of their plans moving forward.
(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
Oberholtzer was 5-13 with a 4.39 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .295 BAA and 5.89 K/ratio. He started off the year slow, but bounced back nicely and made huge strides in just his second season in the majors. Obie had 94 strikeouts while allowing 170 hits, 28 walks, 70 earned runs, and 12 home runs in 24 starts (143.2 innings pitched). He was optioned to the minor leagues in early July, but bounced back to pitch well for the Astros the rest of the season.
After re-joining the team, Obie threw a quality start in nine of his first 10 games and was 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in his first six outings back. After that stretch, he finished the year off pitching pretty inconsistently, but did a nice job of limiting walks and mistakes. The 25-year-old lefty will get another chance to be in the rotation next season because the strides he made in year two.
(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)
Peacock was 4-9 with a 4.72 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, .267 BAA, and 8.13 K/9 ratio. He never once pitched past the seventh inning all year, but did show some consistency. He piled up 119 strikeouts while allowing 136 hits, 70 walks, 69 earned runs, and 20 home runs in 24 starts (131.2 innings pitched). He was optioned to OKC in late July, but recalled after the Astros traded Jarred Cosart to the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline.
The 26-year-old Peacock will most likely be replaced in the rotation next season. He had a nice month of September, but the team had to use a lot of the bullpen in almost every one of his starts this year. Peacock was a nice fill-in pitcher for Houston while they were rebuilding, but I really don’t see him being a part of their future plans.
(Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)
Tropeano was 1-3 with a 4.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .241 BAA and 5.40 K/9 ratio. He was called up on September 2nd from the Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA) after a terrific season in the minors and added to the Astros rotation. He finished with 13 strikeouts while allowing 19 hits, 9 walks, 11 earned runs, and zero home runs in four starts (21.2 innings pitched). He earned his first major league win in his first start on September 10th vs. the Mariners.
Tropeano, 24, was Houston’s 13th best prospect, according to MLB.com, and was exceptional in the Pacific Coast League this year. The PCL All-Star was 9-5 with a 3.03 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 20 starts (124.2 innings) at OKC. He had 120 strikeouts and 33 walks while surrendering just 90 hits and 11 homers. He finished as the PCL’s leader in ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average and was the first RedHawk to ever win the PCL ERA title. Tropeano, who was drafted by the Astros in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft, will have a chance to earn a spot in the rotation next spring after showing some promise in 2014.