Here today, gone tomorrow. Chayce McDermott’s time in Houston comes to a close.
We’re (the “royal” we’re, turns out) continuing our offseason-long series on every player to appear with the Astros between their major and minor league contests.
Chayce McDermott is a six-foot-three, 197 lb. right-handed starting pitcher from Anderson, IN. Born on August 22, 1998, he was chosen by the Houston Astros in the 2021 draft with their fourth-round choice — the 132nd overall choice.
Of the 58 players to get selected at the 132nd spot, 21 have made the majors, led by Devon White (47.3 WAR). Taken out of Ball State University, McDermott could one day be the 13th to reach the majors, chief amongst them Zach Plesac (4.4 WAR). As a senior, McDermott struck out 13.6 batters per nine innings. After the draft, he agreed to a contract with a $372,500 signing bonus.
In 21 2⁄3 innings between the Rookie-Level FCL Astros and the Low-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers post-draft, McDermott struck out 40 in 21 1⁄3 frames. That’s 16.9 K/9. He also kept his WHIP to a tidy 1.078 despite a 4.6 BB/9 rate by keeping batters to an embarrassing (for them) .162/.271/.311 slashline.
The 2022 campaign would start for McDermott with the High-A Asheville Tourists. On May 8, he struck out six over five shutout, one-hit innings in an eventual 5-2, 10-inning win over the Greensboro Grasshoppers. On May 27, he tossed six one-hit frames, striking out eight in a 3-0 win against Greensboro. On June 7, he whiffed 10 over six one-hit innings (a solo homer, turns out), walking zero in a 6-3 win against the Greenville Drive.
Along with those three overwhelming performances, McDermott struck out 124 in 77 frames while keeping opponents to a .207/.320/.359 slashline. Despite those sparkling numbers, he posted a 1.389 WHIP and went 6-1 with a 5.50 ERA.
At the time McDermott was traded away, he was regarded by the MLB Pipeline as Houston’s number 13 overall prospect. On August 1, he joined the Baltimore Orioles association via trade. According to baseball reference:
Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Baltimore Orioles to the Houston Astros. The Houston Astros sent Chayce McDermott (minors) to the Baltimore Orioles. The Houston Astros sent Jose Siri to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Tampa Bay Rays sent Jayden Murray (minors) to the Houston Astros. The Tampa Bay Rays sent Seth Johnson (minors) to the Baltimore Orioles.
Post-move, McDermott pitched a total of five innings for the High-A Aberdeen IronBirds, striking out 10. He’s on track to make an appearance out of Baltimore’s bullpen in late-2024. Thanks for reading.