3 Astros players who’ll be better in 2023, and 2 who won’t
By Tim Boyle
Why Astros reliever Rafael Montero will not have a better year in 2023
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away called New York, Rafael Montero was a top pitching prospect for the Mets. He was even more highly regarded than Jacob deGrom. Things didn’t work out there. He eventually moved to a bullpen role where at first things went well in 2019 with the Texas Rangers. Struggles would follow him until the 2022 season with the Astros. Everything came together for this former stud prospect turned awesome reliever.
The Astros weren’t ready to have a one-and-done season with Montero. He’s back for three more seasons and getting paid handsomely. Unfortunately, he’s not going to be nearly as masterful over these next three seasons.
Montero was 5-2 with a 2.37 ERA in his 68.1 innings of work for Houston. He saved 14 games while striking out batters at a rate of 9.6 per 9 innings of work.
Montero has a shot at remaining a prominent figure in the Houston bullpen. They better hope he is. He’s getting paid like a closer to not actually have the closer gig won.
There is a lot of room for Montero to regress and still be considered a wise buy for the Astros. We’ll have to trust them in the meantime. This is, after all, a franchise that has managed to get the best out of many pitchers of all backgrounds and age groups.