Not a frosty libation you’d order at last call, Willy Collado is actually an alarmingly efficient bullpen asset who’s been rocketing up the Houston Astros’ organizational ladder and depth chart. The sidewinding closer has traversed three minor league levels in just two months, and performed at such a high level it seems pointless to make his next stop anywhere but Houston.

He’s risen so quickly, in fact, that had he done so in water, the bends would be a real concern. You won’t find him on any hot prospect list and it’s doubtful his name is being asked about in trade discussions.

But, the long’n’lanky 21-year-old Dominican native just could be an answer for some of the injuries, inconsistency, and flat-out ineffectiveness that’s dogged Houston’s relief corps lately.

He’s been a closer for most of his pro career, but the Astros can’t afford to be choosy about where to insert the solution to a high leverage inning.

Blowout loss or not, when Tyler White and Max Stassi are tapped to serve as mop-up men, as they were asked to do in a game in late June, the alarm, real or imagined, should have sounded in the bullpen.

“Going Up? Top Floor, Please”

Willy was born in Altamira, Dominican Republic, in the northern province of Puerto Plata. This is the birthplace of Bartolo Colon, who was last seen in the uniform of the Texas Rangers in 2018 after enjoying a 21-year career, including four All-Star Games and a 2005 AL Cy Young Award.

While “Big Sexy” tips the scale at 285 pounds on a 5’11” frame, Collado, once mistaken by Colon for a kickstand, manages to drape his 6’2″ frame with 175 scale-tickling pounds. Houston brass and scouts have no concern or desire for weight or strength gain, as he’s only ever been a short stint reliever. There’s no need for endurance on his resume.

The Astros signed Collado as an international free agent a month after his 18th birthday in 2016, and he worked his way in slowly with 14 innings for the DSL Astros of the Dominican Summer League (on the same roster for his pro debut assignment, in fact, as Houston’s new slugging sensation, Yordan Alvarez).

His 2017 was spent improving at Houston’s now-defunct Greenville entry in the rookie Appalachian League. His 16 appearances produced 23.1 innings pitched and he began showing the eye-opening K:BB ratio his career would begin to consistently highlight.

Despite allowing a .315 batting average against and a 6.94 ERA, Collado missed enough bats to log a 3:1 K:BB ratio (30:10).

His talent began to catch up with his maturity in 2018, as 40.1 IP (23 appearances) yielded a much-improved BAA of .192 (spoiler alert: they’d only get lower from there), and a 2.23 ERA and 0.94 WHIP for Houston’s Class A Quad Cities River Bandits.

In nearly twice as many innings as the previous year, Collado dared to walk exactly the same number of batters (10), while whiffing 55 puzzled hitters, while converting six-of-seven save attempts.

In late July of 2018, Collado pitched two perfect innings in relief, striking out four. That same hot month, he tossed 5.2 innings over two other games, and bewildered opponents to a 13:1 K:BB, giving up three hits and no runs. This included a nine-strikeout performance over 3.1 IP while yielding just one hit.

Oz Ocampo, Houston’s director of international ops (and special assistant to GM Jeff Luhnow) characterized Collado’s strengths: “Devastating slider when on, one of the best in our system, plus with solid changeup, now.”

As one might expect of a successful pitcher in the Astros’ system, Collado is the proud owner of a high spin rate on both his fastball and breaking balls, all thrown from a sidearm delivery that makes his pitches appear to arrive from behind right-hand hitters, while boring in on lefties.

Collado’s Breakthrough

Hurtling himself onto the Astros’ landscape has been the right-hander’s accomplishments in a busy 2019, starting back at Quad Cities, but for only four appearances. A late April promotion to Advanced-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers lasted only five weeks before he was elevated to Houston’s Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks in early June.

For the Woodpeckers, Collado held opposing hitters to a .160 BAA in his 23.1 innings, weaving a 1.16 ERA as he converted three-of-four save opportunities. Adding more consistency to his strengths, Collado once again fashioned a 3:1 K:BB ratio (33:11).

For Corpus, in five games, Collado has worked to an 0.77 ERA, a .150 BAA, and an 0.69 WHIP in his 11.2 innings. On July 1, Collado retired 12 of the 13 Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers’ AA affiliate) he faced to secure a 3-1 Hooks victory. Collado has picked up two saves in a row, as he’s walked two while striking out seven.

Nobody Asked Me, But…….

If the Astros don’t pull off a trade for a reliever by the July 31 deadline (previously known as the “non-waiver” deadline, but beginning this year, now the only deadline), it’s likely they’ll seek bullpen help from any number of the starters and relievers on the AAA Round Rock Express roster.

Many of those have already seen the Minute Maid Park bullpen to varying degrees of tenure and success the last couple of years. Names like lefties Reymin Guduan, Cionel Perez, and right-hander Brady Rodgers are all on the 40-man roster and know well the drill.

But, making the call for Willy Collado wouldn’t seem, on the surface, to be a move riddled with risk. He’s answered the bell at every level and his progression appears to be steady, real, and repeatable.

Bypassing a stop at Round Rock wouldn’t be out of Houston’s character, either. Just ask Lance McCullers, Jr, who made his MLB debut straight outta Corpus in 2015.

Besides, we’re running out of time. With “La Piña,” first baseman Yuli Gurriel, up for free agency after the 2020 season, the Astros have just a year-and-half to take promotional advantage of their next hot game giveaway, featuring Willy and Yuli standing proudly under a palm tree:

The “La Piña Collado” bobblehead.