Jesse Crain To Houston

By Zachary Morgan | HoustonBias.com

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     With the signing of University of Houston product Jesse Crain to a one-year deal, a 2013 Astros bullpen that went down as one of the worst relieving corps ever assembled has been rounded into fine shape for the coming year. The late inning portion of the bullpen is as sound as it has been in recent years with the likes of Chad Qualls, Matt Albers, and Jesse Crain rustling in the 'Pen. The 2013 All-Star is a huge addition and likely becomes a front-runner for the closing role. Although shortened by injury, Crain enjoyed a phenomenal campaign posting a .74 ERA over 36.2 innings pitched, and a 2.4 WAR in only 38 games pitched. The righty features an arsenal that consists of a fastball, slider, curveball, and a changeup, and all of those pitches have posted positive total values over the course of his career, especially the slider. If healthy, Jesse Crain will be one of the most important cogs in the machine that is the revamped Astros bullpen. All in all, with the additions of Crain, Qualls, and Albers, the Astros have added a total 2013 output of 161.2 innings of work with an ERA of 2.39 over that given time.

     With Raul Valdes, Josh Zeid, Alex White, Peter Moylan, Chad Qualls, Asher Wojciechowski, Rudy Owens, Collin McHugh, David Martinez, Chia-Jen Lo, Dallas Keuchel, Lucas Harrell, Josh Fields, Darin Downs, Jesse Crain, Paul Clemens, Cisnero, Kevin Chapman, Anthony Bass, and Matt Albers all 40-man options possibly vying for a spot in the bullpen, it has certainly become crowded past the fence in Minute Maid's Right Field. At this point I would venture to say Kevin Chapman, Josh Zeid and Josh Fields are near locks, but other than the three recently signed, the bullpen configuration will be up in the air going into Spring. With the additions made thus far, it's safe to assume hard liquor sales will see a sharp decline in 2014.