Astros: Wade Miley could be a solid option going forward

The Astros still have questions to answer within their starting rotation and former Milwaukee Brewer, Wade Miley might be the perfect fit for the Astros.

The Astros have yet to add to their starting rotation and have moved on from Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel. Houston doesn’t have a left-handed option in their rotation and could use a veteran like Wade Miley to fill that spot. Last year Framber Valdez showed promise but it’s not clear yet if he is the best option going forward and could be better suited for a bullpen role.

Currently, the Astros rotation consists of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Collin McHugh. The back end of the rotation hasn’t been finalized and Astros fans will likely have to wait until Spring Training to see who emerges as the front-runners.

Miley has had an up and down career and is currently entering his eighth season. He has bounced around between five teams since being drafted in the 1st round back in 2008 by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He features four pitches: fastball, curveball, changeup, and a cutter. He sits about 89-90 on his fastball but can top out at 96. His velocity improved last year and his best off-speed is his curveball, that can absolutely fool right-handed hitters.

Miley recently threw a bullpen session in front of MLB scouts and they were impressed, “He hasn’t changed since the postseason. Every pitch was down with plus command of FB, CH, CB, and cutter. He’s in great shape and clearly on a mission,” first reported by MLB Network Analyst Ken Rosenthal.

If Miley is on a mission what better place to go than to Houston, the Astros are looking for another World Series win and still have many key components to make another deep run in the postseason.

The Stats.

Back in 2017 with the Baltimore Orioles Miley’s career was thought to be over, after posting a 5.61 ERA which was slightly better than the year before where he posted a 6.17 ERA. Miley resurrected his career last season with the Brewers and found himself pitching in the postseason. He appeared in only 16 games for the Brewers last year due to a strained groin and oblique injury but he ended up finishing with a 2.57 ERA and averaged 5.6 strikeouts per 9 innings. Miley can be a dominant force in the back end of the rotation and will look to build off his success from last year.

Overview.

The Astros have a lot of young talent and may look to build their rotation from within. Houston has two of the best pitchers in baseball in Verlander and Cole, who were Cy Young candidates last year. However, Miley can be a veteran option the Astros could explore and can be a solid pickup moving forward.