Ryne Stanek etched his name into Astros postseason history

While signed to $1.1 million this past offseason, Ryne Stanek’s role developed from low leverage to a setup man by year’s end. The Houston Astros and general manager James Click took a low-cost deal on a former Tampa Bay Ray that ended up paying off in the postseason.

Click and Stanek were in Tampa Bay at the same time from 2017-2019. And now for the 30-year-old Stanek, he has found a different role in Houston. The right-hander was more accustomed to the opening role, but the Astros leaned on him for more late-game high-leverage.

Stanek’s role, as said before, changed over the course of the season with him needed in high-leverage spots. The right-hander posted a 3.42 ERA over 68.1 innings during the regular season with only two of his 72 outings being more than an inning of work.

While a workhorse in the regular season, Ryne Stanek set an Astros franchise record for the postseason.

Stanek appeared in 13 games this postseason for the Astros, which was the most ever in franchise history. This puts the right-hander second in MLB postseason history with two hurlers having 14 appearances each: Paul Assenmacher in 1997 and Brandon Morrow in 2017.

While posting a 2.08 ERA, Stanek worked 13 innings this October. The right-hander allowed 10 base runners (five hits and five walks) to his 14 punch outs.

Stanek did allow two long balls in the postseason, which was something he lessened in his regular season campaign to 1.1 HR/9. This was a career-low for the five-year hurler, while giving into a 1.3 HR/9 in a similar sample size in 2019.

Stanek is still under team control for the Astros, while being arbitration eligible until 2023. The right-hander is projected to make $2.1 million in arbitration this offseason by MLB Trade Rumors.