40 Man Roster Review: Luke Gregerson

The next pitcher in the 40-man roster review is Luke Gregerson. Originally signed by the St. Louis Cardinals through the 2006 draft, Gregerson made his Major League Debut in 2009. He has served the entirety of his seven-year career as a relief pitcher.

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In December 2014, the Houston Astros inked Gregerson to a three-year pact, set to expire at the end of the 2017 season. That agreement was for a total value of $18.5 million dollars.

Prior to signing with the Astros, Gregerson had the best season of his career with the Oakland Athletics. With that club, which won a Wild Card berth, Gregerson pitched to a 2.12 earned run average across 72 1/3 innings of work.

With the Houston Astros, however, Gregerson struggled. The Astros asked him to change into a role as a closing pitcher. Before the 2015 season, Luke had collected 19 saves throughout six years of being a member of the relief corps, seldom getting an opportunity to finish a game.

The Astros gave him an opportunity in the 2015 season. Given a new role, he was nearly guaranteed to surpass his records. But the new pressure resulted in his highest earned run average since his sophomore effort in the major leagues.

While I feel that Gregerson is an adequate closer, I think that Luke's track record as a set-up man is hard to ignore.