PHILADELPHIA – Morgan Ensberg saw this four years ago, from the batting box in the bullpen in Buies Creek, NC A former All-Star third pitcher, Ensberg sometimes stood there to take a closer look at the people. pitcher he manages for the Houston Astros’ A farm team. There’s a lot to see.
“There are passers-by who aren’t on any of the leads,” Ensberg said, “but if you’re there and you’re watching, there’s going to be constant arms.”
Ensberg spoke Wednesday night from his home in California after watching one of those pitchers, Cristian Javier, start second unsuccessful person in World Series history. Javier and the three antidote overwhelmed the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-0, even the World in game 4 at Citizens Bank Park.
Phillies, who beat five hosts to death on Tuesday, felt the same helplessness Ensberg felt during those bullfights at the Carolina League. Javier’s fast ball spins so much that it looks like it’s traveling 97 miles per hour when it’s actually 93, says Bryce Harper.
“It’s almost like it’s being delayed,” Ensberg said. “You find it a bit late, and it’s on you.”
It’s a fitting description of Houston’s pitching talent: by the time most people realize how deep it is, the Astros have already outclassed their opponents. Five years after their only championship, the franchise has continued to thrive with a theatrical background that has never been better.
The Astros have the lowest earning average in team history this season, at 2.90, while holding their opponents with an average of 0.212, also a club record. Javier and the Game 4 relievers – Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly – combined for an average of 11.6 shots per nine this season. They have fan 14 in one.
Javier, 25, would never finish it; The peak of his career for innings was seven, and he needed 97 throws to make six innings on Wednesday. But he’s clearly being misjudged as a number 4 star.
“Javy goes out there and does what he does,” Pressly, closer, nonchalantly said, “and honestly, I think he’s the most underrated pitcher in the league. “
Javier switched from midfielder to pitch at the age of 16, the age at which many prospects from the Dominican Republic turned professional. He signed just before his 18th birthday for $10,000, the same bonus the Astros gave Framber Valdez, a Dominican left-handed player, in 2015. The team awarded him $100,000. that year to José Urquidy, a right-hander from Mexico, and $20,000. in 2017 for Luis Garcia, right-hand man from Venezuela.
Add it all up and the Astros spent $140,000 to sign four pitchers from Latin America, who combined to make 112 games starting this season. None of these four were ever listed by MLB.com among the top 100 leads.
“When I got here, I just knew what I was reading, that the system was a bit empty,” said Ryne Stanek, who signed with Houston before last season. “But then you see these people coming in and you’re like, ‘What do you mean, empty? These guys are annoying. ‘ It’s clear that lead rankings mean nothing when those people aren’t leads.
Ensberg says the Astros have essentially doubled their inventory using the piggyback system; that is, two pitchers work four innings each time through the wheel. That way, the organization has more options for pitchers who can become beginners at higher levels – and more beginners get used to the relief.
“Not a lot of teams do that, but the starting pitchers are the most valuable, and the Astros want to develop and harvest pitchers,” said Ensberg, who currently manages in the Tampa Bay Rays system. started – and they are very good at it,” said Ensberg, who currently manages the Tampa Bay Rays network.
“But the most important thing is that the Astros are really good at understanding how to teach pitchers to pitch their pitches with certain pitch shapes – figuring out which will work best and understanding what the body needs to do. to create that.”
Several architects of the Astros system have continued. Jeff Luhnow, the former general manager, was fired in early 2020 after revealing the team’s plan to steal the team’s illegal sign during its title season. Oz Ocampo, a renowned international scout, will soon become assistant general manager of Miami. Brent Strom, an influential former pitching coach, now works for Arizona.
But the prospect they nurtured continues to carry the Astros to the World Series, even after the departures of mainstays like Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke. Urquidy beat Washington in the 2019 World Series and beat Atlanta twice last fall. Garcia beat Seattle in five rounds to win the 18-round series last month.
Valdez and Javier have Astros wins in the World Series. Valdez – who is in the All-Star for the first time this summer – worked six and a third inning with nine strikes in Game 2, and Javier also had nine in Game 4.
Meanwhile, the only Astros pitchers to feature on MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects from 2017 to 2021 – Forrest Whitley and Josh James – have been derailed by injury. The international players have teamed up with key staff, Justin Verlander, to keep the Astros ahead.
“We’ve always felt our boys’ ranking was very light,” said Josh Miller, the team’s pitching coach. “We felt like we had a lot, and we still do. But I would be lying if I told you that most of these people will grow into top startups and big puzzle pieces by this point. They did better than expected. “
Ocampo, who signed Javier, Valdez and Garcia, tweeted a photo of the trio after Javier’s win in Game 4, along with a lizard emoji. It was a nod to Javier’s nickname, El Reptil, given to him at Buies Creek by Ensberg and a coach, Drew French.
“This guy is cold,” Ensberg said. “He never showed any anxiety, he was always calm and collected the whole time. Nothing worries him. I always wondered, ‘Does he know how good he is?’ “
After an indelible performance in the World Series, the secret was revealed.
Ben Shpigel and James Wagner contribution report.
