Houston Astros: Chris Devenski should be left off the playoff roster

The Houston Astros will be constructing their playoff roster soon and Chris Devenski shouldn’t be on it. Why? Let’s take a look and examine further.

The Houston Astros regular season is over and they finished at a slightly better mark than their preceding outing.  This team is now has more wins than any other in history finishing at a 103-59 mark, one more than the 1998 Houston Astros team and two more than last season.

It’s extremely tough to duplicate the unique success that the Houston Astros had last season, let alone the incredible road they took to get their crown.  Going through the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, three franchises that are considered one of the cornerstones of Major League Baseball was a notable feat within itself.

The path will be similar but not necessarily identical when the Houston Astros face the Cleveland Indians this Friday at Minute Maid Park to start up the ALDS.  This team did what it supposed to — capture the AL West crown so that they could get the rest they needed to get things started and to be as fresh as possible.

It was just hard to fathom a scenario where the Houston Astros would relinquish their crown to the Oakland Athletics and they’d be putting their dukes up in a Wild Card matchup.  This team is too good for that and they’re right where they need to be.

But as A.J. Hinch and his staff are constructing on who will be the lucky 25 men who will be representing the Houston Astros in their first round of competition, there’s one man that they need to leave off.

Who is it you may ask?

It’s Chris Devenski.  As much as I love what he did for the team in their first successful run for a World Series title, he truly hasn’t been himself the whole season, dealing with a myriad of injuries.

The latest was a hamstring injury that he dealt with back in August and Devo has struggled to get himself into a rhythm.  I truly hate this for Devo because I miss his infamous strut off the mound after puts his finishing move on any given batter — the turbo slider — and Houston Astros baseball will have a void because we may not see it this postseason.

Plus, even though he’s a right-hander, he possesses the capabilities of what a lefty can do to

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opposing batters which makes him such a unique asset to this team.  But the goods are damaged and until they’re repaired, it’s best that he take a seat.

The decision is ultimately up to Hinch but I think he needs to watch this postseason from the bench.  Now if there is an emergency situation where hopefully he can play when they advance, then possibly he could do so.  But not now.

I think Framber Valdez should take his spot on the playoff roster, he’s young but yet he’s shown that he can poised in moments.  It’s possible that the Astros may not even have to use him all that much but he’d be available if needed.  He has been sent to the Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla. just in case but I think they should put him on a plane back to Houston.

Valdez has posted a 2.19 ERA along with 34 strikeouts and a 8.3 K/9 through 37.0 innings pitched.  He’s allowed nine earned runs and three homers during that stretch.  His 1.24 WHIP is a bit high but I think this guy can last through the tough times.

We’ll have to see how this roster is constructed but this is how I think Hinch should approach the roster construction.

Devenski, 27, has posted a 4.18 ERA while tossing 51 strikeouts and a 9.7 K/9 to boot through 47.1 IP.  He has also given up 22 earned runs and nine homers with a lackluster 1.16 WHIP.

Let the chips fall where they may.