Astros: What if I told you Brad Peacock makes OD roster?

It’s February Astros fans, that means the boys are back on the job. Does Brad Peacock have a chance?

Today is the first full squad workouts that will be open to the public starting at 9:30 ET. Carlos Correa arrived at camp but will miss a few days following having his wisdom teeth removed. New veteran leader Carlos Beltran also made his return to the field in an Astros uniform.

This is time for writers across baseball to make their predictions for the opening day roster. I will get to that, but I also wanted to throw out a curveball prediction. The Astros have many young talented arms trying to beat out Mike Fiers for the final rotation spot. Joseph Musgrove, Chris Devenski, David Paulino, and Brady Rodgers are the people fighting for that spot.

There is a name that no one has been talking about as a possibility of making the opening day roster. This player is Brad Peacock. Yes, this is the same player that we kept wondering last year why they didn’t remove him from the 40-man roster. This year, Peacock is out of options, so he would have to be put through waivers to be sent to the minor leagues to start the season.

The former 41st round pick by the Washington Nationals has moved around many times early in his career. It looked like injuries derailed his career before last year, people had moved on from him. He was an afterthought until the Astros needed starting pitching help last year. You might remember it. The playoff hopes were riding on a start by Peacock.

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Peacock didn’t dazzle Stros fans, but he pitched better than expected. Until his last start, he only gave up more than one run once. That start he gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched. In his final start, he gave up seven runs, five were earned, in the game that ended the Astros season. It was game 160 of the season. A.J. Hinch said the next two games were the only games he has managed in Houston that didn’t mean anything.

Peacock finished with 0-1 record and a 3.69 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. Granted, it was a small sample size, but it could be enticing for a team putting a claim on him. We saw what Collin McHugh, Will Harris, and Tony Sipp have done for the Astros.

Musgrove will be a big part of this Astros team, but I could see him starting off in Triple-A for a few weeks. The Astros dislike giving up talent for nothing, last year’s Dan Straily doesn’t help. Straily had no place on the team, so the Astros traded him for Erik Kratz. The Padres then put him on waivers, and the Reds claimed him. The rest is history.

Next: Astros: What if Joe Musgrove begins season in Triple-A?

Peacock could be the Scott Feldman of the bullpen while we see what Fiers can offer. Musgrove would be able to rejoin the team once they see what they have in Fiers and Peacock. Left-hander Kevin Chapman is also out of options, but he might pass through waivers. Musgrove will be in the rotation, not in the bullpen. Monitor how Peacock, Fiers, and Musgrove pitch this Spring. I’m on team Joe.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***