Houston Astros Signed Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier for $10K Each on Same Day in 2015
The Houston Astros' best two starting pitchers of the 2022 Major League Baseball postseason were both signed as international free agents from the Dominican Republic on the same day in March 2015.
On March 19, 2015, the Astros agreed to minor league contracts with international free agents Cristian Javier and Framber Valdez. The contracts were reportedly worth $10,000 each.
Seven months later, the Astros made their first playoff appearance since 2008, posting their first winning season in seven years. Neither pitcher would see the big leagues until after the Astros won their first World Series title in franchise history in 2017, but a pair of power arms were blossoming in the Astros' farm system.
Valdez made his Major League debut in 2018, logging a 2.19 ERA over 37 innings. Valdez struggled however in 2019, and split time between the Astros' big league team and Triple-A Round Rock. Meanwhile, Javier was still toiling away in the minors.
By the 2020 MLB playoffs, both pitchers were contributors to the Astros' run to their fourth-straight American League Championship Series.
That postseason, Javier pitched primarily out of the bullpen, and Valdez emerged as a star. Valdez went 3-1 with a 1.88 ERA and .175 opponent batting average in three starts and one relief appearance.
Fast forward two years, and the pair of Dominican-born players that then-Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow acquired for a combined $20,000 are the Astros' best two starting pitchers in the 2022 postseason.
The Astros have not lost a game that Javier and Valdez have started this postseason, going a perfect 5-0. With the Astros' season on the line Wednesday night in game four of the World Series, Javier pitched a gem, not allowing a single hit over six scoreless inning, as the Astros would go on to throw the first combined no-hitter in World Series history.
In two starts and one relief appearance in the playoffs, Javier has a 0.71 ERA and 0.57 WHIP over 12.2 innings pitched.
In 2022, Valdez set a single-season record for the longest streak of quality starts. He will likely receive American League Cy Young Award votes.
Like Javier, Valdez has been exceptional during the 2022 playoffs, posting a 3-0 record, a 1.42 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 19 innings in three starts.
Valdez has an opportunity to close out the Philadelphia Phillies Saturday night at Minute Maid Park. Another clutch performance from Valdez could help the Astros clinch their first World Series title since 2017.
The Astros' sustained run of excellence has endured as a result of their uncanny ability to consistently draft, sign and develop prospects. Javier and Valdez are two great examples.
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