Houston Astros Rumors: Three relievers to target before Spring Training
By T.A. Mock
Xavier Cedeno, LHP
Xavier Cedeno is likely a name that you don’t know unless you are a diehard baseball fan or followed the Houston Astros extremely close during the dark years. Cedeno got his first big league cup of tea with the Astros in 2011 and stuck around into the 2013 season.
He struggled a lot during those early years and bounced around the league for a few more before really beginning to find himself in 2015 as a part of the Rays organization. Part of his migration to being a good pitcher was adapting his pitch arsenal. He moved further and further away from a traditional fastball to a cutter.
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By 2016 the traditional fastball was completely gone and he utilized his cutter in tandem with what was quickly becoming an excellent curveball. This switch in his pitches saw immediate results. He was putting up the best numbers of his career by a wide margin.
Cedeno ranks in the 94th percentile in curveball spin rate, which we all know is a Houston Astros favorite. He is also a terrific platoon pitcher against lefties though he has gotten better against righties as well.
If the Houston Astros wanted to keep Framber Valdez stretched out as a starter rather than use him as their lefty specialist out of the bullpen, Cedeno could be a terrific add at a wonderfully low cost.
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Which one of these three pitchers would you like to see in a Houston Astros uniform? Is there anyone else you would like to see in an Astros uniform? I mean, Craig Kimbrel would be nice but I’m trying to be realistic here…leave a comment below!