Houston Astros: Who could be next year's Charlie Morton?

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CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 09: Tyler Chatwood /

Houston Astros pitcher Charlie Morton didn’t necessarily steal the show last season, but he recorded one of the best seasons in his career. There are some that could register a similar 2018.

A multitude of players deserved this year’s Comeback Player of the Year Award. Mike Moustakas and Greg Holland earned the honors at the Players Choice Awards after enjoying two stellar campaigns to remind baseball fans of their relevance. Houston Astros pitcher Charlie Morton wasn’t deemed a finalist in the category.

But fans and analysts can argue that he was more valuable to the Houston Astros than Holland and Moustakas were to their respective clubs. Now Morton and his accomplishments from 2017 are a beacon for what some pitchers hope to accomplish in the upcoming season.

He pitched just 17 1/3 innings for the Phillies in 2016 before he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. Houston gave him a chance, needing another starter to eat up innings.

Morton quickly became much more than an innings eater. He turned into a consistent starter for the World Series winners and ultimately posted a strong bounce-back season. The right-handed veteran logged 146 2/3 innings, sporting a 3.62 ERA and leading the team in wins.

The most surprising note from Morton’s season was his prominent strikeout numbers. He gave fans a preview while in Philadelphia, racking up 19 strikeouts in four starts. Yet it became a reality once he made his way to Minute Maid Park. His 163 strikeouts led the Astros while his 10.00 K/9 was a career-high.

Simply put, Morton looked like an entirely new pitcher last year. And, the Houston Astros signed him for a bargain – a two-year, $14 million deal. General manager Jeff Luhnow can argue that Morton was the steal of the offseason.

Which, if any, pitcher from this year’s free agent class will record a similar achievement?

MLB analyst Mike Petriello already made a case for Tyler Chatwood, predicting that he will pan out well for anyone willing to sign him – for several reasons. Chatwood was dominant on the road, but struggled at Coors Field, like most other pitchers.

Morton relied on his fastball/curveball combo to notch his strikeouts. Opposing hitters hit a pathetic .109 average against his curveball and .189 against his fastball. Chatwood’s curveball was devastatingly dominant, as players hit just .079 against it. Overall, the 27-year-old’s off-speed stuff is above-average.

But his fastball and command, in general, could leave teams worried. Still, his stats on the road are promising enough to make him a worthy consideration for their pitching staff.

Who else is on the list?

Jhoulys Chacin

Much like Chatwood, Chacin endured the hitter-friendly conditions of Coors Field for multiple years. But once he departed from the cold air and high altitude, he fared much better.

Chacin developed into a near-ace for the Padres last year, although Dinelson Lamet was also very good in San Diego. Chacin led the team in wins, ERA, and strikeouts last season, proving he was well worth the $1.75 million he was signed for.

After two really rough months to start the season, he settled enough quite well. In each of the final four months of the year, he didn’t sport an ERA worse than 3.31. His decent 7.6 K/9 rate was also second-best in his career.

The Venezuelan comes with several red flags, however. His road/home splits are severely different, as he posted a minuscule 1.79 ERA at home but an unbearable 6.53 ERA anywhere else. He had three undeniably horrid starts – he allowed 23 runs in a combined 10 innings.

Furthermore, his command is difficult to trust, as he walked 3.6 batters per nine innings. He also led the league in hit-by-pitches. Yet he’s always had issues in those categories, averaging more than three walks per nine innings in all but one season.

The primary reason most teams may have an eye on Chacin is to eat innings. That’s the understanding behind several of the signings made by the Phillies, Braves, and Padres.

And ironically, that was a reason the Phillies signed Morton two years ago. If Chacin can stay healthy like he did in 2017, he has the tools to be successful. Yet, it might depend on what his home ballpark is.

Still, he has potential to do well, and he can pitch more than 180 innings, something he’s done in three of his eight full seasons.

Hector Santiago

Minnesota was not kind to Santiago.

Prior to his two seasons for the Twins, the southpaw never posted an ERA greater than 4.25, and that was during his final days in Los Angeles. Compared to other pitchers, he flew under the radar, offering solid numbers each season for the Halos.

Unlike Chatwood and Chacin, the lefty was elected as an All-Star one time in his career. While he allowed the most home runs in that season, he still set a career-high K/9 rate at 8.1 and his lowest walk rate.

Santiago is been prone to the long ball, but he can log several innings and has displayed his deceiving collection of pitches as well. He racked up more than 100 strikeouts in four straight seasons before 2017.

Although he can post positive punch-out outings, he also struggles mightily with his command. He’s never allowed fewer than 7.8 hits per nine innings as a starter, and he’s averaged between 3.5 and 4.3 walks per nine in each of the previous five years.

Santiago’s WHIP each probably shouldn’t correlate with as low an ERA as he’s had in the past. But he was masterful when he had runners in scoring position. Hitters only garnered a .197 average with runners in scoring position in 2015. That number was .222 in 2014 and .193 in 2013, perfectly explaining why he boasted a lower ERA.

Teams won’t want to deal with a copious amount of baserunners, but someone will take a chance on Santiago. And if he feels as comfortable as he was in Los Angeles, the 29-year-old can put together a very strong bounce-back season.

Scott Feldman

Of the players mentioned, Feldman might be most similar to Morton for many reasons.

Feldman dealt with a season-ending surgery in 2016, much like Morton did. Considering that the veteran arm is close to Morton in age, they could be the most similar of the candidates.

The former Houston Astros player didn’t rack up many strikeouts during his first 13 seasons. He’s compiled 100 strikeouts in just three seasons in his career. The right-hander didn’t eclipse 100 punch outs this past season, but his K/9 rate was a career-high.

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Although he’s never posted a sub-3.00 ERA as a starter, Feldman had a slew of solid seasons on the bump.

During his time in Texas, he registered his most All-Star worthy season in 2009 even with an ERA greater than 4.00.

But while pitching with the Houston Astros, he arguably enjoyed a better season, with a 3.74 ERA and more than 100 whiffs.

Yet, since the club was in the midst of its rebuilding phase at the time, he suffered an 8-12 record.

Feldman probably deserved to enjoy the World Series run, as he was a workhorse for the Stros during his time in the Lone Star state. Instead, he dealt with a rebuilding club in Cincinnati and didn’t pitch into the later portion of the season.

Nothing about Feldman screams power pitcher – Morton was arguably that – and he hasn’t gotten better with age.

Next: The Los Angeles Dodgers' season review

However, he could enjoy a swan-song season similar to Jason Vargas and Ervin Santana, who took the league by surprise last year. Feldman could be a cheap buy that can pan out better than expected for any team, maybe even a contender willing to sign him to a bullpen role at first.

The Houston Astros found a gem, guiding them to their first World Series title in team history. What team could copy that recipe?

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