RADIO
Jose Urquidy 2020 Outlook: A Sleeper for Strikeouts, Wins
5 years agoAn underrated pitcher when discussing potential rookies in 2020, Urquidy acquitted himself well when thrown into the fire of starting for a playoff calibre team with high expectations. He posted a 3.95 ERA in 41 innings while missing bats and throwing lots of strikes. He had a K-BB rate of 134-21 in 103 innings at Triple-A. Urquidy isn’t the most physical pitcher and stands just six-feet tall. He also wasn’t a highly regarded prospect early in his career until he returned from Tommy John surgery halfway through the 2018 season and saw his stuff improve over his pre-surgery offerings. He sits around 93 mph with his fastball and has two or three other pitches that he can use to rack up strikeouts. With a fly-ball approach, he’s prone to the long-ball. The Astros club enters 2020 with holes in the starting staff and it’s hard not to see Urquidy fitting in nicely. He doesn’t have the ceiling of a Forrest Whitley but there’s much less risk with him than his oft-injured fellow prospect. Urquidy should have a shot at a lot of wins while playing for a good offensive club.
