Rotation (Not in any particular order)
Mar 16, 2015; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals infielder Denard Span (left) talks with pitcher Mark Appel during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Starter One – Mark Appel (#2 Astros Top Prospect MLB Pipeline)
More from Prospects
- Astros 1st-Round Draft Pick Drew Gilbert Done for the Year
- Astros Utility Prospect David Hensley Called Up to MLB
- Who Should the Astros Consider for a September Call-Up?
- Could the Astros Have 2 Rookie Catchers Next Year?
- First-Round Pick Drew Gilbert Already Called Up to Single-A
Starter Two – Lance McCullers (#10 Astros Top Prospect MLB Pipeline)
Starter Three – Josh Hader (#9 Astros Top Prospect MLB Pipeline)
Starter Four – Kent Emanuel
Starter Five – Kyle Westwood
The top three pitchers are top prospects, Mark Appel should have a short stay at AA, and then get the promotion. The Astros will see McCullers first hand on Thursday when he pitches against them. McCullers was the competitive balance pick in the first round of 2012 draft and his father played in the majors as a reliever. Josh Hader is the prospect the Astros got in the Bud Norris trade, and he won the Astros minor league pitcher of the year award in 2014.
Click here for Hader’s Interview with CTH.
Click here for McCuller’s Interview with CTH.
Tandem Starter #1 – Aaron West
Tandem Starter #2 – Mike Hauschild
Tandem Starter #3 – Chris Devenski
The Astros use a tandem starting pitcher system. One pitcher pitches five innings, the other four innings. This is due to the large amount of starting pitchers in the system.
Bullpen
Mitch Lambson
Is this the best amount of talent to ever take to the field on one minor league team, I’m not sure. This group of talent knows nothing but winning, so we have to hope that they will continue this trend on the road to the majors. The infield and rotation appear should be the best groups in terms of talent on the team. This could be the nucleolus of a strong Astros team in the future.
Besides Mark Appel and Carlos Correa, which Hook will you keep track of this year?
Next: Who Made the Astros 25-Man Roster