Houston Astros Young Starter Looked Sharp in Test Against New York Yankees

The second start of the spring for one of the Houston Astros' young starters was a test against a top lineup in baseball, but he was sharp navigating the order.

Aug 28, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti (41) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Spencer Arrighetti made his second spring training start on Saturday for the Houston Astros against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL.

The second-year starter aimed to build on his first outing, which was scoreless but erratic when he walked three batters in two innings pitched.

On Saturday afternoon, many of the Yankees’ regulars were in the lineup, giving Arrighetti an additional challenge to navigate.

His final line was impressive, tossing two scoreless no-hit innings with three strikeouts and zero walks.

In total, Arrighetti threw 29 pitches, comprising of 12 four-seam fastballs, six curveballs, five cutters, five changeups and one sweeper.

His four-seam fastball sat in the 92-94 mph range, topping out at 94.6 mph.

Most notably, Arrighetti demonstrated excellent life on his heater and late movement on his cutter. Though he didn’t consistently pound the strike zone, his pitch movement allowed him to miss barrels when he did induce swings.

He was also effective at changing speeds.

His curveball showcased sharp vertical break and his changeup, which had a significant velocity differential compared to his fastball, ran away from left-handed hitters.

Arrighetti's strikeouts came against New York's star slugger Aaron Judge, shortstop Anthony Volpe and designated hitter DJ LeMahieu.

The sequence against Judge kept him guessing, with Arrighetti buckling Judge's knees by using an inside cutter to catch him looking. He got Volpe to swing over a sharp curveball and painted the outside corner to catch LeMahieu swinging through a pitch.

Overall, Arrighetti looked like he belonged on the mound.

He pitched with confidence and didn't hesitate to challenge Judge with every pitch.

Although his command wasn’t flawless, his pitch movement mitigated the need for perfect location. The combination of run on his fastball and the ability to change speeds allowed him to generate soft contact and achieve quick outs, leading to the potential for deeper innings.

The concept of a stronger Astros defense should enable Arrighetti to pitch aggressively and with greater confidence, understanding the seven players behind him will handle routine plays and potentially save runs.

Houston's rotation is shaping up, and Arrighetti's improvement should allow him to fit nicely at the back end of the staff.

He has the potential to become a middle-of-the-rotation starter, and this outing displayed glimpses of that capability, much like he did at times in 2024.