Houston Astros’ Projected Opening Day Roster, Part I: Pitchers

With Houston Astros’ 26-man roster all but set, it’s time to take a closer look at projected pitchers to hit the field in 2023.

Spring Training may still be in the early phases of the upcoming Major League Baseball season, but the projected 26-man roster for the Houston Astros is pretty much set in stone.

Sure, a few minor changes may occur between now and Opening Day, but for the most part the rosters are set.

First and foremost, let’s take a quick glance at the projected starting pitchers and relievers for the Houston Astros heading into the 2023 MLB Season.

Keep in mind that Lance McCullers Jr. has been ruled out for the start of the season, so he will not be included on the 26-man roster at this time.

Starting Pitcher Rotation: Framber Valdez, Christian Javier, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia, Hunter Brown.

With McCullers Jr. out for Opening Day, Valdez gets the nod as the No. 1 starter in what is projected to be a five-man starting rotation. Thus far in spring training, Valdez has thrown two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Last season, Valdez went 17-6 over 31 starts with a 2.82 ERA.

Javier takes the No. 2 spot for starting pitchers, with the righty tossing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts so far in the Grapefruit League. Last year for the Astros, Javier went 11-9 over 30 starts with a 2.54 ERA.

Up third in the starting rotation is Urquidy, who has played in two games thus far in spring training while posting a 6.75 ERA over four innings with six strikeouts. Last season, Urquidy went 13-8 over 29 starts with a 3.94 ERA.

Garcia, with a new-look windup due to the newly implemented pitch clock rule, slots in at No. 4 and has thrown two scoreless innings thus far in spring training. Last year, Garcia went 15-8 over 28 starts with a 3.72 ERA.

Due primarily to McCullers' latest setback, Brown will get a chance as a Major League starter and is predicted to be the No. 5 man in the rotation. Brown struggled with his command in his one spring training outing thus far, posting a 9.00 ERA with one strikeout over one inning. He spent a majority of last season coming out of the bullpen -- appearing in seven games with a 2-0 record and a sparkling 0.89 ERA.

Relievers: Ryan Pressly, Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton, Rafael Montero, Bryan Abreu, Hector Neris, Seth Martinez, Matt Gage.

Pressly, last year's remarkable closer for the Astros, leads the charge for what will likely be an outstanding bullpen once again. Thus far in spring training, Pressly has  a 4.50 ERA over two games (two innings) with two strikeouts. Last season, Pressly had a 3-3 record (50 games) with 33 saves and a 2.98 ERA and 65 strikeouts (48.1 innings).

Stanek also returns for another season as a reliver, but struggled in his lone spring training outing this past week -- posting a 27.00 ERA over one inning with two strikeouts. Last year, Stanek garnered a 2-1 record (59 games) with a 1.15 ERA and 62 strikeouts (54.2 innings).

Maton, meanwhile, has yet to appear in a spring training game. Last season, he went 0-2 (67 games) with a 3.84 ERA and 73 strikeouts (65.2 innings).

Montero has played in one game in the Grapefruit League, tossing one scoreless inning with one strikeout. Last year, he went 5-2 (71 games) with a 2.37 ERA and 73 strikeouts (68.1 innings).

Abreu has appeared in two games in spring training, throwing two scoreless innings with one strikeout. Last season, he went 4-0 (55 games) with a 1.94 ERA and 88 strikeouts (60.1 innings).

Nerris has also pitched in two games in the Grapefruit League, throwing two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Last year, he went 6-4 (70 games) with a 3.72 ERA and 79 strikeouts (65.1 innings).

Martinez, who made his MLB debut in September of 2021, has played in two games in spring training -- throwing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Last season, he went 1-1 (29 games) with a 2.09 ERA and 38 strikeouts (38.2 innings).

Gage, the final piece of a projected bullpen that will aim to anchor the Astros to another World Series title, has appeared in one spring training game -- throwing one scoreless inning. Last year for the Toronto Blue Jays, Gage went 0-1 (11 games) with a 1.38 ERA and 12 strikeouts (13.0 innings) in limited action.

Up next in part two: a closer look at the projected position players on the Astros 26-man roster.

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