Houston Astros Spring Training Battles: 4th/5th Starters

2 of 6

LANCE MCCULLERS

Jun 24, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers (43) pitches in the first inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

McCullers’ 2.8 WAR over 125.2 IP was better than Yordano Ventura, Wade Miley, Jeff Samardzija, Garrett Richards, Jason Hammel, Scott Kazmir, and Mike Fiers, to name a few.

As the entire Astros organization and fan base clamors to see what McCullers can do with a full season, Jeff Luhnow announced that McCullers will have his innings limited in 2016. McCullers is only 22 years old and has established himself as a long-term force in the Astros’ rotation, so he must be protected in the long-term.

It will be interesting to see how his innings limit is handled, which is why he is not a certain lock to start 2016 as a starter at the MLB level.

But you can expect to see him in September and October. Let’s not forget McCullers’ gem in the dreaded Game 4 of the ALDS, holding the Royals to two hits over 6.1 innings with 7 strikeouts. Something else happened that game, but we can’t quite remember.

Next: Doug Fister

Home/Astros News