The Houston Astros’ Triple-A Round Rock Express starting pitcher, Cy Sneed, was informed late Wednesday night, June 26, that he’d been promoted, and his first taste of MLB ball would take place the next day.

The Astros, in a corresponding move, optioned Wednesday’s starter, Framber Valdez, to their AAA affiliate, thus opening a spot for Sneed on Houston’s 25-man roster.

Stretched out as a starter for the Round Rock Express, Sneed threw 93 pitches in his last start on June 21.

In his MLB debut, June 27, against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 0-10 Houston loss, Sneed threw 81 pitches (56 were strikes) in six innings. He gave up seven hits (two left the yard), four earned runs, and a walk while striking out four.

The Mountain Man Emerges

Born in Elko, Nevada, Sneed and older brother Zeb (a former pitching prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization), moved to Twin Falls, Idaho before Cy entered high school. Cy’s father, Bob, was a 1986 New York Mets’ draftee in the 42nd round, but he never played pro ball.

Moose heart and eggs is a typical breakfast for the right-handed Cy. He thinks nothing of lunching on a 17-oz T-Bone or hunting bear in his new home of Alaska.

Sneed was a third-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014. The Astros traded infielder Jonathan Villar to the Brew Crew in late 2015 to obtain Sneed. He reached Triple-A for the first time in 2017 and has pitched exclusively at that level since.

Featuring a fastball that regularly sits in the low 90s, Sneed can occasionally hit 95 mph. A change-up and curve have been areas of continued improvement in the last few years in the Houston system.

To the Island of Misfit ‘Stros

While many fans will point to Sneed’s red beard as Dallas Keuchel-like, the newest Astro’s hirsute chin sports a much bushier, less-manicured appearance than does Houston’s former southpaw, now pitching for the Atlanta Braves.

In fact, Sneed’s rough-hewn visage and “Nanook of the North” lifestyle seem to smack of the hilariously animated Yukon Cornelius, the arctic prospector from the classic 1964 holiday special, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Fitting Him In

To create room on the 40-man roster, the Astros transferred reliever Joe Smith from the 10-day to the 60-day IL. Smith is still recovering from left Achilles surgery from December and looks to begin working his way back after the All-Star Game.

Houston’s options for a call-up were limited, having just sent pitcher Cionel Perez to the Express on June 19 (players need to be on an affiliate’s roster for at least 10 days before being recalled).

That roster conundrum, plus Houston’s desperate bullpen usage of position players Tyler White and Max Stassi to close out a nasty 2-14 spanking by the Pirates, June 26, opened the door for Sneed’s long-awaited opportunity.

The last time the ‘Stros utilized two position players on the mound was in 1989 in a 5-17 drubbing by the same Pirates.

Houston Adds an All-Star

Sneed, 26, had earned a spot on the Pacific Coast League roster in the AAA All-Star Game this year, posting a 4.48 ERA with a 7.55 K/9 and 2.82 BB/9 rates, with a 40.2 percent groundball rate in his 70.1 innings in 14 appearances (eight starts). He climbed as high as third among PCL starters with a 1.17 WHIP prior to the move.

In 2018, he was 10-6 with a solid 3.83 ERA in the hitter-happy western half of the PCL with the Fresno Grizzlies, Houston’s AAA outpost last season.

Houston players are certainly familiar with the 6’4″, 215-pound Sneed, as he’s been a non-roster invitee in the Astros’ last three Spring Training camps.

Flirting With Perfection

In late May for Round Rock, Sneed flirted with a perfect game. He retired the first 22 San Antonio Missions (Brewers’ AAA affiliate) batters in order before allowing a one-out double in the eighth. That hitter ended up being the only base runner Sneed allowed in his eight innings of a 4-0 Express win.

“I wouldn’t say it felt much different than any other night,” Sneed told the Austin American-Statesman at the time. “I made some mistakes they either didn’t hit or didn’t hit hard. I was a little bit lucky. But I’ve been working with some things with my slider and delivery, and it all shaped up tonight.

“I feel like you always know when you’ve got something special going on. Anybody who says they don’t know [about a no-no] is maybe lying. I knew. It felt smooth, comfortable. If that ball would have been 10 feet or so to the left, who knows?”

“Pitch after pitch, out after out, Cy made it quick and easy,” Round Rock manager Mickey Storey said, reflecting on that special May outing. “He only went to a three-ball count twice the whole night. It was like sitting back on a rocking chair enjoying that one.”

Sneed, who pitched in the NCAA Tournament for the powerful Dallas Baptist program in 2014, needed only 86 pitches (62 for strikes) to complete his eight innings for the Express.