Houston Astros: Who could be next year’s Charlie Morton?
By Kyle Cardoza
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.
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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?