Houston Astros Ace Reportedly Taking Different Approach On Mound This Year
Spring Training is not only an opportunity for players to get ready for the upcoming season and try to make the roster, it also presents a chance to tweak some things during exhibition action.
That's reportedly taking place with one of the Houston Astros' starters this season.
After being an American League Cy Young favorite for the first half of the year, Framber Valdez struggled mightily down the stretch and into the playoffs, putting together the worst season of his career since becoming a full-time starting pitcher in 2020.
His 3.54 ERA was his worst as a starter since the COVID-shortened year and his ERA+ of 122 was the worst of his career.
Those are still really good numbers, but that's not going to stop Valdez from tweaking things to see if he can improve.
According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, he's going to call some of his own pitches using the PitchCom device during Spring Training.
"I want to feel more comfortable. Not that I don't feel comfortable with the catchers, but I want to feel comfortable and throw the pitches with more conviction — feel like I have the game in my hands," he told reporters.
This is interesting considering the Astros' rising star catcher, Yainer Diaz, will be behind the plate as the starter for the first time in his career.
With Martin Maldonado gone, there are questions about how things might look regarding communication between the pitchers and catcher.
Valdez is one of the best in the game, so giving himself even more of an advantage when it comes to comfort with what he's throwing should benefit the team.
It's unlikely that this causes any rift between the ace and young catcher, especially if the entire coaching staff is on board with the decision.
The left-hander mentioned he didn't use the PitchCom at all in 2023, relying on Maldonado to call the game for him.
Now that he's more comfortable with the device, he's looking to put a little bit more of his imprint into his outings with what pitches will be coming out of his hand.
It will be interesting to see how Valdez does in Spring Training with this new strategy and if that carries over into the regular season.
