Houston Astros: Long-term replacement options for Lance McCullers
It is unknown whether or not Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers will be on the disabled list for an extended period. But if he is, here are a few pitchers that could slide into the rotation.
The Houston Astros made it 112 games without suffering an injury to its stellar starting rotation. But that streak ended Saturday after Lance McCullers felt elbow pain during his start.
Houston’s front office placed him on the disabled list Sunday. Thus, the Astros need a replacement, at least for the time being.
Elbow issues warrant serious attention. At this point, trainers don’t know whether this will be a prolonged or minor injury. But clearly McCullers won’t be on a mound until the tension in his arm subsides completely.
But that shouldn’t be an issue, as manager A.J. Hinch has arguably the deepest staff in the league. And several of his pitchers have experience as a starter.
Yet, it’s unknown whether any of the options available will be able to match McCullers’ numbers.
Despite his inconsistency at times, the 24-year-old owns solid numbers. A sub-4.00 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP and nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings is good for a back-end option. While he cannot compare to the aces at the top of Houston’s staff, he is still reliable.
More importantly, McCullers is dependable in various scenarios. Astros fans remember how his 24 straight curveballs flummoxed Yankees hitters. He is an asset in multiple ways.
That’s essentially how every pitcher is in Houston, but the club still needs a set person for every fifth day. Whoever makes the start in McCullers’ place could be a long-term necessity.
Therefore, as medical reports come in, Hinch will weigh his options. And between the minor leagues and his bullpen, he has several viable options.
Here are a few he could look at more closely.
Brad Peacock
Peacock is just one of the several players on staff that transitioned from a full-time starter to an effective reliever. Hence, he seems like the most appropriate option for the Astros at this point.
Hinch tends to use Peacock as one of his primary long relievers. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old also comes through clutch in late-game situations.
Peacock tossed more than 120 innings last year and made 20 starts. Overall, with his relief outings included, he owned a 3.00 ERA with a WHIP below 1.20 and more than 11 strikeouts per nine innings.
Of the many Houston pitchers throughout the past five years, no one has developed as much as Peacock. Prior to last season, he was a starting option in 2014 when the Astros won just 70 games.
But for most teams, he would be a legitimate piece of a rotation.
Despite not starting a single game this season, Peacock is posting career-best numbers across several categories. His ERA remains under 3.00. His WHIP is below 1.00. And his walk rate is almost half at what it was during the rest of his career.
However, the Houston hurler has an issue with the long ball. The Astros pitcher allowed just 10 across 132 innings last season. This year, he’s already surrendered nine in fewer than 50 innings pitched.
Yet, that is the only blemish in Peacock’s résumé from the past two seasons. For these reasons, Hinch might place him on the mound in McCullers’ absence.
Collin McHugh
Of the players on this list, McHugh has the most experience as a starter. Prior to the Astros’ acquisition of Gerrit Cole, the 31-year-old was slated to be the club’s fifth starter.
Maybe it was a good thing he shifted to the bullpen. His current numbers are the best he’s had in his seven-year career.
Though he’s not compiling as many innings as usual, the Houston pitcher is much more efficient.
McHugh pitched 63 1/3 innings across 12 starts last year. In that span, he allowed 62 hits, yielded 25 runs and racked up just 62 strikeouts. Thus far, he’s yielded 26 hits and six earned runs in 10 fewer innings. He also has 69 strikeouts on the year.
The difference is that McHugh struggles when having to face hitters multiple times in the same game. Opponents frequently made the correct adjustments to bash McHugh as the game progressed.
But now that he is a reliever, McHugh pitches at most two to three innings a game. Last year, the right-hander had a 1.85 ERA in his first time through the order.
Therefore, it makes sense why his ERA and WHIP are both microscopic this deep into the season. The spike in strikeouts results from McHugh’s bolstered confidence and becoming accustomed to his new role.
McHugh’s career year hasn’t been overshadowed by other reliever either. Even though he didn’t earn an All-Star spot, he owns the best WHIP amongst relievers with more than 40 innings pitched. His ERA ranks second behind Blake Treinen.
Therefore, Hinch could use McHugh in the rotation for the Astros. But maybe he will resist doing so in order to keep his rhythm in sync.
Cionel Perez
Houston promoted Perez earlier this year with no experience in Triple-A. Though the front office deemed him worthy of a relief spot in the pen, he could be a future starter.
Therefore, Hinch could start him with his future in mind. Being that four of the current pitchers in the rotation could be gone in two years, it may not be a terrible idea.
However, there is a chance that he gets rocked, considering he hasn’t faced many high-quality hitters. But the Astros are five games ahead of the Athletics and still have the best rotation in the league.
They may be able to take the risk, if even for a few starts.
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Just because Perez lacks experience doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an MLB-quality repertoire. His fastball can reach the high-90s with some movement. He also has four solid pitches that he can mix-and-match with throughout starts.
Perez’s efficiency and ability to get ground balls limits a high pitch count. Though he is a different pitcher than Dallas Keuchel, working with him could help for the rest of the season.
It’s understandable if Hinch chooses to use Perez out of the pen more often. His past injury history may dissuade the manager to have him start games.
But the Astros have to decide whether Perez is a viable starting pitcher in the first place. If so, they have to provide him some opportunities to gain experience.
dark. Next. Houston is still the World Series favorite
If not, he could be a replacement for Tony Sipp as a left-handed specialist after this season.