Peter Solomon was born in the Washington, DC area, raised in the Baltimore suburb of Ellicott City, MD, and like fellow Astro minor league moundsman Brandon Bielak, bolted from the east coast to enhance his career at the University of Notre Dame. He even shared Bielak’s IT Management major at the school’s Mendoza College of Business.

And, like Bielak, the 6’4″, 200-pound Solomon was selected by Houston in the 2017 MLB Draft, but in the fourth round, seven rounds ahead of Bielak. Interestingly, Solomon was the fourth college right-hander chosen by the Astros in the first five rounds of that draft.

And, informing the pitcher’s pop culture appreciation, as well as his social media presence, it turns out Solomon is a fan of a recent popular TV sitcom:

“I love ‘The Office.’ Sometimes I will tweet out random ‘Office’ quotes with absolutely zero context. The show makes me laugh, and I think it has some of the most unreal quotes, so I like to put them out there.”

“I’m always thinking a step ahead, like a carpenter… that makes stairs.”

But, before all that, Peter Joseph Solomon starred for Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore (as an outfielder and pitcher), the same program that produced former MLB slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira.

Earning junior varsity team MVP right out of the box as a freshman, Solomon went on to earn four varsity baseball letters and won MVP of the President’s Cup Showcase at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, eventually focusing on pitching.

He posted a 2.66 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 52 innings as a junior before working to a 1.76 ERA in 53 innings with 85 strikeouts as a senior. With four complete-game shutouts, Solomon even had a streak of 29 consecutive shutout innings, showing off a 90-mph fastball.

After his sterling Saint Joseph career, Solomon found himself selected by the San Diego Padres in the 21st round (627 overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft. Preferring to honor his Notre Dame commitment, he declined to sign.

“Why don’t you grow something that everyone likes? You should grow candy.”

At Notre Dame, Solomon’s 2015 freshman season out of the bullpen was abbreviated due to a shoulder injury. Nonetheless, he posted a 2-0 record with a 1.40 ERA with 19 strikeouts and seven walks in 19 innings.

As a sophomore, his 18 appearances included nine starts with one complete game in his 57.2 innings. Perhaps experiencing an injury effect holdover, Solomon’s precision suffered a bit, with his K/9 ratio of just over 11 being overshadowed by his 6.6 BB/9 (1.69 K/BB ratio). His 10 wild pitches underscored that season’s wildness.

Solomon was 3-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 21 games (four starts) with Notre Dame in his less-than-stellar junior year in 2017. He struck out 61 and walked 28 in 54 innings (2.18 K/BB ratio).

In summarizing Bielak’s and Solomon’s career track, including their respective final college seasons, MLB.com, in a scouting blurb, asserted: “Strong summers in the Cape Cod League in 2016 [following their sophomore campaigns] had Notre Dame’s Peter Solomon and Bielak poised to go in the early rounds of the next year’s [2017] Draft, but both squandered that opportunity with disappointing junior seasons.

“The Astros gladly snapped up both, taking Solomon in the fourth round and Bielak in the 11th, and they’ve performed well in pro ball. While Solomon was considered the better prospect in college, Bielak has surpassed him and reached Double-A in late June of his first full season [2018].”

Solomon, at #27, trails Bielak’s #19 in the Astros’ Top 30 Prospect list, according to MLB Pipeline.

“I would say the area I improved most was being more consistent in my delivery on the mound and throwing more quality strikes,” Solomon told AstrosFuture in November. “At times in college I got away from my delivery on the mound which caused me to walk more guys than I would have liked, so being more consistent each time on the mound was a big win for me this year.”

Houston coaches had Solomon focus on improving his mechanics during his first year in pro ball and has been pleased with the initial results.

“The trick is… to undercook the onions.”

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Scouts have identified Solomon’s best pitch as a 92-94 mph fastball that tops out at 96, although both his hard curveball and slider can be plus offerings at times. He also shows potential for an effective changeup with some sink.

The Baseball Draft Report pegged Solomon at draft time, as “a favorite of many, [and is] a classic case of a young pitcher with too much natural movement for his own good. Nothing he throws is straight, a blessing for a veteran but a curse for most younger pitchers.

“A bet on Solomon is a bet on him finding a way to harness his explosive stuff professionally in a way he’s never consistently shown as an amateur. Even with his wild ways, there was a point early on last summer [2016] when Solomon looked like a sure-fire first round pick.”

The best scouting report on a pitcher usually comes from the hurler himself: “I throw a 4-Seam fastball, changeup, curveball, slider, and am tinkering with a cutter,” Solomon explained.

“Every pitch plays off my fastball, 4-seam pretty straight with good spin behind it. Changeup is a pitch that I am most proud of improving this year being more confident throwing with good fade from lefties.

“Curveball is close to a 12-6 going almost straight down, and I would call my slider more of a ‘slurve’ that can be thrown pretty hard. For me, I think my best pitch is my fastball.”

“Can’t beat a horse; a horse is a bike that pedals itself.”

After averaging 5.3 walks per nine innings during his Notre Dame career, Solomon cut his walk rate to 2.9 last season, his first full year in pro ball. Three-quarters of 2018 he spent at Class A Quad Cities, earning mid-season All-Star honors, and one-quarter at Advanced-A, where 13 of his combined 24 appearances were starts.

“I really enjoy watching [Houston ace] Justin Verlander,” Solomon said in November, echoing many Astros fans. “We have some similarities in our deliveries and I think a similar game plan on the mound.

“The way he attacks hitters and uses all of his arsenal is definitely something that I strive for. I believe he is the complete pitcher in terms of arsenal and mental game, so I want to model myself after one of the best.”

Solomon Going Forward

Peter Solomon pitched his way into the Fighting Irish bullpen during his 2017 draft year, and many scouts slotted him in as a career reliever, but he may be able to stick in a rotation if he continues to throw strikes.

It will be interesting to see how Houston continues to groom Solomon as he progresses through their system.

If Solomon did become a full-time reliever, scouts predict he’d likely sit in the mid-90s with his fastball, and add even more power to his breaking pitches.

Solomon will likely start his 2019 season building on the 23 innings he put in last year in High A, this being the debut season of Houston’s Fayetteville Woodpeckers A+ affiliate.

If he continues his 2018 success at that level, a quick promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi should be in play by June.