YOUNG ASTROS PITCHERS BLAST OFF
On the international market, most of the top players in Latin America sign when they’re 16 years old. Occasionally, they sign at 17. By the time they’re 18, they are considered older.
Any older than that, the players are considered ancient and are largely ignored by teams.
The Astros went against that conventional thinking in the middle of the last decade. They saw older international pitchers as an undervalued demographic and made a concerted effort to scout and sign them.
The Astros reaped the rewards of that approach in 2021. Houston won its third American League pennant in five years by defeating the White Sox and Red Sox in the AL playoffs, then falling to the Braves in a six-game World Series.
The Astros opened the World Series with lefthander Framber Valdez staring Game 1. Righthanders Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia followed in Games 2 and
