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#3: Joseph Musgrove (Joe)
Joe Musgrove Photo Credit by Tammy Tucker
If this were really my list, he would be number one on this list after what he did in 2015. Not to say that he came out of nowhere, he was a first round pick in 2011 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, but injuries limited his success for a few seasons. Musgrove was the Astros minor league pitcher of the year with what he did between three levels in 2015. In 2015, Musgrove went 12-1/ 1.88 ERA/ 99 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings between Quad Cities, Lancaster, and Corpus Christi.
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Musgrove was part of the mega-trade that sent J.A. Happ and more to the Blue Jays in 2012. His control is way above some of the other prospects, as he only allowed eight walks all season. He has a tall and imposing presence on the mound and throws the ball with a downhill movement that leads to plenty of groundballs. He would play well in Houston with that great defense behind him. He throws a fastball, curveball, and changeup.
Most likely, he will need a stop at Triple-A to stretch him out for the 2017 season. However, Musgrove was placed on the Astros 40-man roster, so he does have that advantage over Devenski and Rodgers. He will be coming into the 2016 season a little more stretched out than McCullers was last season. McCullers ended up pitching 125 plus inning last year, not including the playoffs, which is something the Astros could do with Musgrove if the situation presents itself.
At this time, I am not sure if Musgrove will get an invitation to Spring Training, but if he does, it could be an interesting storyline as he could be the better version of the Asher Wojciechowski surprise for the Astros. Musgrove has been often written about, read them below.
2016 Houston Astros Breakout Rookie: Joe Musgrove
Keeping Up with the Astros Prospects: (RHP) Joe Musgrove
Next: The #2 Astros Prospect Starting Pitcher