Houston Astros Former Top Prospect on Verge of Making First Opening Day Roster

After years of frustration and injuries, the Houston Astros are set to finally benefit from the presence of a talented former top prospect on their roster.

Mar 11, 2023; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Forrest Whitley (60) throws a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. / Rich Storry-Imagn Images

In 2019, Houston Astros prospect Forrest Whitley earned a prominent spot on the MLB.com top 100 prospects list, checking in at No. 6.

Among the players ahead of him that year were Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr., both of whom have made their presence felt in the Major Leagues over in the intervening years.

Whitley only made his MLB debut in 2024, making three appearances for the Astros. The 27-year-old, who was supposed to join the team as a reinforcement during their dynastic window at the beginning of the decade, instead has the chance to make an impact for the next iteration of the franchise fans will see starting in 2025.

Whitley has been sharp as a tack in spring training, throwing five innings over four appearances with five strikeouts with a 1.80 ERA. In doing so, he has put himself in position to break spring training with the big club as a member of the Opening Day bullpen.

The 2016 first-round pick earned his heralded status as a starting pitching prospect, but he shared his goals for the season as a reliever with Astros MLB.com beat reporter Brian McTaggart.

“I want to be a Swiss Army Knife,” Whitley told McTaggart. “Ideally, I want to throw 100 innings for this team. I want to make spot starts, I want to throw multiple innings out of the [bullpen]. I’ll throw multiple times a week or one inning. I’ll do whatever.”

Whitley was suspended for the first 50 minor league games of the 2018 season for a violation of the league's drug program, and he had further seasons in 2020 and 2021 derailed by injuries.

When he returned to the mound in 2022, Whitley's effectiveness was gone, as he produced a 6.53 ERA in 13 appearances across Rookie Ball, Single-A and Triple-A.

Whitley only made eight apperances in 2023 with Triple-A Sugar Land, but he got his career back on track with a strong showing in 32 games with the Space Cowboys in which he put up a 1.89 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 33.1 innings pitched.

"“I think the fact I’m here now pitching with good stuff and healthy and the mindset of having failed so many times and having gone through so much adversity, it’s made me undoubtedly a stronger person out there on the mound,” Whitley said to McTaggart.

The six-foot-seven righty will have a chance to show that newfound strength as a member of the Astros, and his talent could significantly raise the ceiling for Houston's bullpen.

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