Astros fans have waited two months for the club to acquire a starting pitcher, and when they finally do so, it’s not even remotely splashy. This isn’t even a guy who’s guaranteed a rotation spot. But the addition of Austin Pruitt could be bigger than many people think.
GM Jeff Luhnow has made it a habit of finding unheralded pitchers and bringing them in to work with the team’s in-house wizard, pitching coach Brent Strom. They tend to gravitate toward guys with high spin rates on their pitches, help them revamp their approach, and sit back and watch the results.