Houston Astros: Six Pitchers Sent to Minor League Camp

The Spring Training cuts keep on coming for the Houston Astros.

Earlier this morning, the Houston Astros announced that they have send down six players, all pitchers, to Minor League Spring Training.

Of the six players sent to the Minor League equivalent of Spring Training, three are top prospects: David Paulino (No. 7), Joseph Musgrove (No. 8), and Brendan McCurry (No. 23).

The latest news out of Kissimmee isn’€™t exactly earth shattering news. Each of the six players reassigned or optioned today were not expected to compete for a roster spot on the 25-man roster this season. And of the six, only three are on the 40-man roster: Musgrove, Paulino, and Juan Minaya.

Supply and demand is the basic reasoning behind the timing of the reassignments as there are currently more pitchers than innings available. This move will now grant the Astros a chance to see more of their pitchers in action at both the Major and Minor League camps rather than wasting away on the bench.

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This second round of cuts comes on the heels of Saturday’€™s first wave which included other top prospects Alex Bregman, J.D. Davis, Derek Fisher, and Jon Kemmer. Slowly, but surely, the final 25-man roster is starting to take shape as we enter the second full week of March.

Next: Houston Astros: Max Stassi Injury Update

None of the young prospects sent down over the last few days were especially surprising. The main purpose of placing the ten players in Major League camp was to watch the veterans and for the Astros brain trust to get a closer look at their most promising youngsters. But these are definitely players that the Astros want to see make the major leagues sometime in the future.