Houston Astros Rumors: Four rookies that could have a major impact

Forrest Whitley, RHP

Forrest Whitley is one of the most exciting prospects in all of baseball, let alone in the Houston Astros system. We may not even be talking about him impacting the team as a rookie in 2019 if it weren’t for his suspension to start the 2018 campaign. His 50 game suspension forced him out of baseball until the back half of June but when he returned, he returned with a vengeance.

Whitley is the unanimous top pitching prospect in all of baseball and there’s little doubt in my mind that he will escape 2019 without making some sort of appearance in the majors. He torched AA in his eight starts and will likely do so again to start the season before either getting promoted to AAA or jump straight to the show.

Whitley has made tweaks to his delivery in order to avoid some of the injuries he faced last year and it showed in his Fall League appearances. He had a 2.42 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in 26 innings pitched. He also struck out 36 batters and walked only 7.

The Houston Astros won’t be able to keep that talent in the minors for long. In fact, Jeff Luhnow may be penciling in a spot in the rotation for Whitley to have by the end of the season even if he has to start his MLB career out of the bullpen.

Whitley has four truly incredible plus pitches that he can wield with regularity. His fastball is his best pitch with velocities averaging in the upper 90s with the potential to hit triple digits, it also has some serious cutting action. After that, his 12-6 curveball is devastating, as is a biting slider that has some great, late movement. He also has a changeup that he seems to trust which is always a good sign. I, for one, cannot wait to see this kid hurl a ball in Houston.