Astros’ Spring Training Roster Announced

Pitchers and catchers for the Astros are set to report for Spring Training on February 13. So, you know, we’re getting closer to baseball back in our daily lives. That’s a great thing. With that date less than a month away, the club released its preliminary roster for camp on January 17, with familiar faces abound and some new names to watch.

As a standard practice every year, this camp will feature some of Houston’s top prospects, including Brice Matthews, Cam Smith, Jacob Melton, Zach Dezenzo, A.J. Blubaugh, Miguel Ullola, Colton Gordon, and Jose Fleury. Odds are that only one or perhaps two at best of these listed players will break camp with the big league club. A compelling case could be made for Melton and Dezenzo if their performance warrants further discussion, considering the state of the outfield. While Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers are considered the favorites to start in right and center field, respectively, left field is up for grabs. And, to be clear, the right and center field plans aren’t set in stone, considering how both McCormick and Meyers performed last season.

Other than the outfield, I would watch the bullpen closely to see who helps fill that unit out. Four spots are currently filled — Josh Hader, Ryan Pressly, Bryan Abreu, and Tayler Scott — with likely four more to fill. With no minor league options remaining, Forrest Whitley is entering a make-or-break camp with the Astros. Kaleb Ort and Bryan King had bright spots. Shawn Dubin is another option. RosterResource reflects those four on the bullpen depth chart. That said, I wouldn’t be shocked if Rafael Montero made the club if he had an encouraging spring. After all, the club is already on the hook for his salary regardless, so it isn’t a bad idea to see if there is anything left.

Something to keep in mind: Only King has options remaining, so Houston does stand to possibly lose Whitley, Ort, or Dubin if placed on waivers. In other words, there isn’t much flexibility within the bullpen at the moment. For pitchers with options, Nick Hernandez and Luis Contreras are probably next on the list. Miguel Castro is another intriguing buy-low candidate. The hope is that the Astros’ pitching development team can continue to generate usable relievers as they did last season with Scott, Ort, and King.

Ultimately, there are little surprises in who the Astros invited to camp this year. But for the first time in a while, it does feel like there are some intriguing prospects to watch and a couple who could impossibly impact the big league roster if everything breaks right. In any case, there are only a few more weeks now standing between us and the status of perpetual hope known as Spring Training.