The Houston Astros have made a big move to secure the future of their team, and it’s all thanks to Christian Javier. The Astros have just signed the ace pitcher to a 5 year, $64 million extension, a deal that locks in what would have been his second and third years of arbitration, and buys out the first two years of his free agency. This is an incredible deal for the Astros, and could be a sign of big things to come for the team.
Christian Javier is a phenomenal talent, and a playoff ace. He gave up only one run in 12.2 postseason innings last year, and has a career 2.20 ERA and 0.92 WHIP across 32.2 postseason innings. He’s no slouch in the regular season either, with opponents hitting .178 against him in 305 innings. Javier throws four pitches, but relies heavily on his two-seam “invisiball” and his slider almost 90% of the time. These two pitches create whiffs and soft, fly ball contact, and in 2022 he struck out almost exactly one in three hitters and 13% of batted ball contact resulted in pop flies. He is the anti-Framber, generating only a 26% ground ball rate.
The Astros have a proven formula for success, one that relies heavily on strong defense, contact-hitting, and pitchers not afraid of the big moment. Christian Javier certainly fits this description, and with his new contract, he will be a mainstay in the Astros’ starting rotation for years to come. Not only will he help the team in the regular season, but he will be a key player in the postseason as well.
The Astros are clearly making a statement with this deal, and it’s a sign that they are serious about the future of the team. With Christian Javier locked in for the next five years, the Astros are in an excellent position to make a deep playoff run in the coming years.
Source: www.crawfishboxes.com