According to the Associated Press, 36-year-old Nelson Figueroa has nailed down the fifth slot in the rotation for the 2011 Houston Astros to start the season.
He will take his spot behind Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, J.A. Happ and Bud Norris. He found out today due to his last competitor, Jordan Lyles, being sent down to minor league camp along with six other players.
Spring training started with a thick competition for the final rotation spot among Figueroa, Lyles, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Aneury Rodriguez and Lance Pendleton. The last three dropped out quickly but both Lyles and Figueroa were fighting hard. Eventually, management decided to go with the more experienced ball player in Nelson.
Figueroa was claimed off waivers last season from the Philadelphia Phillies and made 10 starts with eight relief appearances for the Astros, going 5-3 and recording a quality 3.22 ERA. He is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA this spring. In spring training, Lyles went 1-2 in four games with a 1.98 ERA.
But just because Figueroa has seized a spot in the rotation doesn't mean he should get comfortable there.
Lyles is a very refined pitcher and already looks like a big-leaguer at the young age of 20. If Figueroa underperforms, the Astros will not hesitate to send him out and bring up the promising young Lyles—who has mastered three pitches and has expert use of them all.
However, if Figueroa does do very well, and the Astros aren't a contender like they're expected to be, the team could trade him for some prospects from a contender and bring up Lyles to fill in the position.
Since the Astros are in a rebuilding state right now, it seems reasonable that they would trade away an aging starter if they're able to gain some quality prospects and replenish a depleted farm system, especially with Lyles waiting in the wings.
This decision by the Astros shows that management is willing to take time to become a contender again and isn't going to rush all of their promising young guys onto the major league level, which is a good thing. It has been shown many times that pushing players at a young age ends up severely shortening or ruining their careers.
The Astros will give Lyles and the rest of the farm system time to replenish, develop and gain skill until they are ready to make a big mark on the majors and a run at the title.
I'm a little disappointed with the decision because I was excited to see what Lyles was able to do, but I think it is for the best for now. Figueroa is a quality pitcher who should definitely be able to hold down the spot until Jordan Lyles is much more developed, and possibly an even better pitcher.
I'm sure that the team won't hesitate to switch Figueroa with Lyles if the former is unable to perform and I am excited to see who will be on the roster by season's end.
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