Astros release player pool focused on winning a title this year.
Focused on crown, Click tops off player pool with prospects readiest to contribute in majors
To some, the Astros confronted a quandary. They are built to contend for an American League pennant and World Series title in 2020, presuming the season can be completed. Their farm system, gutted by graduation and trades, possesses most of its promising talent at the lower levels, prospects who may not play baseball at all this summer.
First-year general manager James Click’s challenge was deciding how many spots on Houston’s 60-player pool belonged to these players. Few are ready to contribute in a 2020 major league game, but many could benefit in the long term from in-person, organizational instruction they otherwise may not receive.
The perceived dilemma wasn’t one at all.
“The primary reason these guys are on the 60-man roster right now is to help us win a championship this year,” Click said Sunday.
The Astros on Sunday revealed a 56-player pool flush with household names but with a few promising young pitching prospects as well. Houston has 39 players on its 40-man roster, all of whom are part of the pool along with 17 extras. Thirty pitchers and 26 position players comprise the group, which began trickling into Houston this weekend.
“We have quite a few guys in this group that can step in and
contribute at the major league level should we need them,” Click said. “Obviously, the hope is that we can keep our current major league guys healthy and on the roster. But obviously, with everything that’s going on in the world right now, it’s paramount to have depth. The guys that we have on this roster right now are players who can help us win a championship this year.”
On the job for just over four months — two of which included no actual baseball to watch — Click relied heavily on the organization’s existing player development team to construct the roster.
In regard to prospects, Houston was far more aggressive inviting pitchers over position players, understandable given the state of the farm system. Top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley was included. Shortstops Jeremy Pena and Freudis Nova, whom Baseball America considers the club’s two best infield prospects, were not.
“It’s a credit to our player development coordinators, our coaches and our player development team that, over the course of the past few months, they’ve been able to continue to help our players develop even without games to be played,” Click said. “That lessened the urgency to add players to the alternate squad site purely for developmental reasons. We want to win a championship in 2020, and I think we needed 56 spots on this roster, at least today, to make that happen.”
Though outside publications rank it among the five worst in the sport, Houston’s farm system has promising pitching at its lower levels. Jojanse Torres and Luis Garcia, two High Class A righties with high strikeout rates and electric upper-90s fastballs, are perhaps the most intriguing of the team’s invited pitchers.
Two 2018 draftees — Brett Conine and Shawn Dubin — also made the list despite not pitching above High A.
Alongside Whitley are Cristian Javier and Brandon Bielak — perhaps the two prospects most on the cusp of major league readiness. Before spring training shut down, manager Dusty Baker said Javier, the Astros’ reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Year, was “in the mix” for making the roster.
Given the truncated summer camp that precedes the regular season, pitchers who can go multiple innings in relief will be in high demand. Bielak and Javier exist as possibilities to pair with proven major league middle relief options Chris Devenski, Brad Peacock and Joe Biagini.
Those who do not make the Astros’ 30-man opening day roster will continue training at the University of Houston’s baseball facility — dubbed the team’s “alternate
site” for the 2020 season.
The Astros can carry up to three extra players from this group on all major league road trips, but one must be a catcher.
Houston included six catchers in its pool. Martin Maldonado, Dustin Garneau and Garrett Stubbs are expected to take most of the major league time. Stubbs’ versatility in left field or in the infield makes him a virtual lock for all road trips.
Michael Papierski, Colton Shaver, and Jamie Ritchie are the team’s insurance. Ritchie played all last season with Class AAA Round Rock. Shaver, a converted infielder, also caught in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. They got the nod over 2019 first-round selection Korey Lee, a clear illustration of Click’s 2020-focused philosophy.
Potential existed for as many as four 2019 draftees — Lee, second-round infielder Grae Kessinger, fourthround outfielder Colin Barber and fifth-round righty Hunter Brown — to secure invites. Lee is the team’s top catching prospect and Barber its best young outfielder. Kessinger trails only Peña and Nova.
“It’s always tricky to keep one eye on the present and one eye on the future and balance those two things,” Click said. “Our hope is that for those players not in this 60-man pool, we can continue to come up with creative ways for them to develop. Certainly, being on this squad will have its benefits, but the primary reason these guys are on the 60man roster right now is to help us win a championship this year.”
Houston left four open roster spots in its pool, affording it flexibility to survey the open market or add a player later. Player pools cannot exceed 60 at any point during the season. A team with a full pool can add an additional player only if a corresponding move is made with one already in the pool, potentially exposing a player to waivers.
Players who are placed on the COVID-19 injured list do not count against the player pool. That list is reserved for players who have tested positive for COVID-19, are exhibiting symptoms consistent with the virus, or have been exposed to someone with a positive test. There is no minimum or maximum length for a player’s stay on the COVID-19 injured list.
Although they were listed on Sunday’s roster reveal, players can still choose to opt out of the season if they feel the risk is too high. Those labeled “high risk” will receive full salary and service time. Teams can choose whether to pay players who opt out due to highrisk family members or pregnant spouses. Click said Sunday he has not spoken to any Astros player who plans to opt out.