Tolliver’s tank practically full
With low-mileage arm, waiver claim offers pen a lefthanded option
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Ashur Tolliver is a late bloomer by baseball standards. He didn’t make his major league debut until he was 28, seven seasons after he became a professional. Derailed earlier in his career by shoulder issues, he has had a workload exceeding 50 innings only once.
“There’s probably not many 29-year-olds that have played maybe eight years total that have as few innings as I do,” he said Thursday.
A fifth-round draft pick of the Orioles in 2009, Tolliver all these years later remains an unproven yet intriguing relief option. The Astros claimed him off waivers in November to try to fill a need for lefthanded depth, something they lack in an otherwise solid bullpen.
Tolliver, who turned 29 in January but has only 292 pro innings under his belt, relies on a low-to-mid-90s fastball and a splitter. The Astros are working with him on his slider, which is still a work in progress, in the hopes of finding a reliever who can match up left-on-left in a division featuring Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Rougned Odor and Nomar Mazara.
The Astros’ affinity for relievers Jandel Gustave and James Hoyt would seem to render Tolliver a long shot to make the opening-day bullpen if all are healthy. But given their dearth of lefthanded options behind Tony Sipp, Tolliver — who still has two minor league option years remaining — figures to be called on at some point during the season.
When Tolliver’s name popped up on the waiver wire early in the offseason, Astros manager A.J. Hinch recalled the pitcher’s major league debut last May at Minute Maid Park. Tolliver entered in relief of Orioles starter Kevin Gausman to begin the sixth and in 11⁄3 scoreless innings struck out each of the three lefthanded hitters he faced — Colby Rasmus, Luis Valbuena and Jason Castro.
“We feel like he’s got a chance to be a very effective pitcher against lefthanded hitters and hold his own against righthanders,” Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said.
Tolliver pitched only 42⁄3 innings in all for Baltimore last season. The Orioles designated him for assignment in late August, and he landed with the Los Angeles Angels. He was unaware he had been placed on waivers in November until he received an out-of-the-blue phone call from a member of the Angels front office, who notified him he had again been claimed.
Tolliver said he was excited when he learned it was the Astros who claimed him. For one, they are one of four teams who play within a reasonable driving distance from his hometown of Little Rock, Ark. Secondly, he was a fan of the team growing up. His parents would drive him to Houston for games when he was a kid, especially when Randy Johnson, one of his favorite pitchers, was in town with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Within a week of the Astros’ claiming him, Tolliver made that seven-hour drive from Little Rock to Minute Maid Park. Astros pitching coach Brent Strom had invited him for a day trip, an introduction of sorts to his new organization.
“I’ve seen an excellent live fastball with a good split and an improved breaking ball,” Strom said early in spring training. “He’s got some life to his ball, really good life.”
Shoulder issues that began early in his professional career delayed Tolliver’s ascent through the minors. Rather than heading right for surgery, he tried rehabbing and returning to the mound on several occasions. In March 2012, he finally went under the knife to repair his labrum, and it wasn’t until about the two-year mark from the operation that he felt fully back to normal on the mound.
“Obviously, you want to get up there (to the majors) as quick as you can because you want to prove that they made a good decision drafting you where they did. But unfortunately, the game doesn’t always work out that way,” said Tolliver, who after becoming a minor league free agent in 2015 re-signed with the Orioles on a minor league deal.
“You’ve just got to keep grinding and eventually hope it’ll work out for you. Thankfully, (the Orioles) believed that with the surgery that I was going to get back to where I was before I got injured. I’m thankful that they stuck with me and gave me a chance. And ultimately, it’s led me here.”
Tolliver, who is scheduled to make his third Grapefruit League appearance for the Astros on Friday against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, has averaged only 412⁄3 innings per season in his seven years as a pro.
“I do feel,” he said, “like I’ve got a lot left in the tank.”