Former Houston Astros Top Prospect Looked the Part in Second MLB Appearance

After a long time coming, one of the Houston Astros former top prospects finally delivered a performance that many expected out of him his entire career.

Apr 16, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Forrest Whitley (60) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Minute Maid Park / troy taormina-usa today sports

For contending teams around the league, the September call-up period is a bit different as they are looking to take advantage of the expanded rosters by adding more potential contributors to the mix, something the Houston Astros did on Sept. 1.

Promoting catcher Cesar Salazar gave them more depth at that position with Yainer Diaz and Victor Caratini having to get reps at first base.

They also added to their bullpen by calling up longtime prospect Forrest Whitley for his second stint in the MLB.

As Astros fans know all too well, the career of the former top prospect has not gone as expected with him only making his debut earlier this year after being ranked No. 1 in their pipeline from 2018-2021 after being selected 17th overall in the 2016 draft.

Whitley was supposed to be the next great pitcher in this rotation, but after a 50-game suspension for violating MLB's drug prevention and treatment program, then later undergoing Tommy John surgery, it's been anything but easy for him.

But, the 26-year-old has kept at it, switching roles from being a starting pitcher to becoming a reliever so he would give himself a better chance of being a contributor with Houston.

Now, he is getting his second shot and finally delivered an outing at the Major League level that was a long time coming.

Forrest Whitley notches his first big league K ... and then strikes out the side!

The @astros rookie dials it up to 99.6 mph in his second MLB appearance. pic.twitter.com/W6cd4KomZh

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 3, 2024

While his eighth inning wasn't necessarily clean considering he gave up a hit and walked a batter before getting out of the frame with three strikeouts, he still showed some stuff that should excite Astros fans everywhere.

During his first punch out, he flashed a nasty breaking ball that put away the batter.

This was followed by some easy heat at 98 mph on the outside corner against a right-handed hitter to wring up his second batter, and another one he blew by in a full count that was 97 mph on the outside corner against a lefty to end the inning.

If Whitley can come in and deliver these types of performances for Houston coming down the stretch, he will be a major addition to their bullpen.

Already considered one of the best backend units in Major League Baseball, inserting an elite pitching talent like Whitley who is performing at his best is just another weapon the Astros can turn to when they need it most.