Astros’ rotation could get huge boost thanks to top prospect’s strong spring

Eric Cole

Hooks' Spencer Arrighetti pitches during a homestand against the Sod Poodles at Whataburger Field on / Angela Piazza/Caller-Times / USA TODAY

The Houston Astros' rotation should eventually be in a good spot in 2024 despite some setbacks this spring. Justin Verlander and JP France are dealing with some shoulder soreness, but both pitchers are still getting work in down at camp and seem like they're only slightly behind.

With Verlander, Framber Valdez, and Cristian Javier manning the top of the rotation, Houston has the luxury of being able to experiment a little with how to fill out the rest of their starting staff.

France remains an option assuming he can get back on track health-wise; Hunter Brown will likely be a favorite for one spot despite his issues in the second half of 2023; and Jose Urquidy will almost certainly get a look.

However, one top prospect down at spring training is turning some heads already and it definitely sounds like manager Joe Espada expects him to help the team out at some point in 2024.

Joe Espada on the early impression of Spencer Arrighetti: "His first impression has been really good — how he carries himself. He acts like he belongs. His confidence level is solid. We're expecting him to provide some support this year at some point and his stuff is really good"
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 21, 2024

Spencer Arrighetti is showing out early at Astros' spring training

It's important to note that early spring training impressions are just that and nothing more. Spencer Arrighetti is a known commodity at this point as an Astros' prospect -- he's been a top pitching prospect in their system for a while now. He misses bats, has a fastball that really jumps on hitters, and has a pair of solid breaking balls (especially his sweeper/slider) to keep hitters off balance. There is a lot to like.

Still, in his first big league camp, Arrighetti has not only been busy soaking up all the big league coaching around him, but he's firmly finding himself on the Astros' radar for 2024. Arrighetti already pitched his way to Triple-A last season and, assuming he pitches well this spring, he will get closely evaluated for a rotation spot despite the fact he isn't on the 40-man roster and has some stiff competition.

The key is actually performing in games, though. Everyone already knows that Arrighetti's stuff should play against big league hitters. However, he has battled command issues in the minor leagues and MLB hitters are generally very good at their jobs. Learning how to prepare for starts against the best of the best and make adjustments during games is a huge part of being an MLB starter.

We won't know if Arrighetti is ready to make that jump until he's up against hitters that won't care about damaging his confidence, but he's off to a great start this spring.

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Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.