“I’m extremely excited. I’m a little more shocked than anything, you know? There’s 29 other teams I could have gone to and it happened to be the hometown team.” Austin Pruitt was reacting to his being shipped, January 9, to the Houston Astros in a trade that sends two prospects to the Tampa Bay Rays.

With 2019 drafted pitcher Peyton Battenfield and outfielder Cal Stevenson (obtained last summer in the Derek Fisher deal with the Toronto Blue Jays) heading east, right-hander Pruitt will get a Spring Training shot at the fifth spot in Houston’s starting rotation in 2020.

In a related move to clear space on the 40-man roster for Pruitt, the Astros designated RHP Dean Deetz for assignment.

Rotation Rumble

Out of minor league options, Pruitt is virtually assured a 26-man roster spot when spring camp breaks. He’ll join no fewer than half-a-dozen other Houston hurlers duking it out for the final two spots in a rotation that’s headed up by two former Cy Young Award winners.

Justin Verlander (who turns 37 a week after pitchers report to West Palm Beach) and Zack Greinke will be joined by Lance McCullers Jr, who’s set to return following Tommy John surgery which forced him to the sidelines for all of 2019.

The fourth and fifth spots in the rotation are up for grabs and will see Spring Training battles for them by the 30-year-old Pruitt and fellow righties Jose Urquidy, Brad Peacock, Josh James, Rogelio Armenteros, and prospects Forrest Whitley and Cristian Javier. Southpaw Framber Valdez will also be in the mix.

Without the spring competition, it could be said the final two rotation slots are Peacock’s and Urquidy’s to lose. But, battle they must, and McCullers’ stamina and durability need to be tested, as well.

Related: Houston’s 2020 Starting Rotation Under Construction; Beware of Falling Expectations

The Astros Buddy Grows Up

Austin Daniel Pruitt (call him “Pruman” during Players Weekend) was born in Plano, Texas, 20 miles north of Dallas, but grew up in the north Houston suburb, The Woodlands.

Growing up an Astros fan, he attended The Woodlands College Park High School. In 2008 he was named First Team All-District pitcher and a member of the HABCA All-Star Team his junior year, three years after the school opened.

At Navarro Junior College (an hour south of Dallas), he was a member of the 2011 National JUCO World Series Championship team and led the nation with an ERA of 0.81 before transferring to the University of Houston for his junior year (2012).

Pruitt finished that season with a 4.25 ERA, a team-low for starters. The 5’10”, 185-pound psychology major tossed a team-high 91 innings, striking out 57 hitters while holding opponents to a .287 average.

In his 2013 senior year, he led the Cougars’ staff in wins with 10, ERA (2.85), starts (15), innings pitched (113.2) and strikeouts (92), while compiling a 10-5 record.

Life As a Pro

A golf and fly fishing enthusiast, Pruitt was drafted in the ninth round of the 2013 draft by the Rays (278th overall). Being a Houston homeboy, he’s made it a point to schedule workouts at the local Dynamic Sports Training (DST) facility, where many of his current Astros teammates (Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman, to name a couple) have done their offseason training.

Making his MLB debut on Opening Day 2017, Pruitt made a total of 67 appearances (with 10 starts) for Tampa Bay in his three years there, posting a 4.87 ERA.

He split the 2019 season between the Triple-A Durham Bulls and Tampa Bay, logging a 5.40 ERA in 18 appearances (six starts) for Durham and a 4.40 ERA over 14 games (two starts) for the Rays.

Pruitt made his first start for the Rays last season in late August, having operated exclusively out of the bullpen to that point. In his relief appearance just before that start, he allowed a grand slam and two other homers in 5.2 innings.

The time before that, in mid-August against the San Diego Padres on the road, he worked four strong innings, allowing one run on six hits, and posted the “W.”

“He’s got to keep the ball in the ballpark,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told the Tampa Bay Times at the time. “We’ve got to do a better job of that. He did some good things in San Diego.

“He’s certainly a guy that’s going to rely probably more on command than stuff. Continue to mix pitches in and out of the zone, both edges. He’s got to work all the quadrants to have success. Similar to what we’ve seen [Rays’ lefty Ryan Yarbrough] do, just from a different angle.”

Consistency, in whatever role, will be a goal for Pruitt with the Astros.

Professor Strom in the Laboratory with the Spin Rate?

“We’re going to give him a chance to compete,” Astros GM Jeff Luhnow told MLB.com‘s Brian McTaggart recently. “He’s started in his Major League career, so he’s capable. He’s got two different breaking balls, a good fastball and really good command, which means he should be able to get through some innings.”

“According to Statcast, Pruitt’s average curveball spin rate of 2,999 revolutions per minute ranked ninth out of 358 pitchers (min. 250 pitches thrown) in 2019,” adds McTaggart.

The “spin rate magic” that Astros pitching coach Brent Strom was able to perform on the likes of current Rays (and former Astros) ace Charlie Morton, and Houston’s bullpen stalwart Ryan Pressly, among others, will hopefully be duplicated with Pruitt.