40 Man Roster Review: Scott Feldman

Prior to the 2014 season, Scott Feldman signed a 3 year, $30 million contract with the Houston Astros. I recall that, at the time of the signing, I was disappointed. Injuries cost him much of the 2015 season. Overall, in two seasons with the club, Feldman has worked to a 13-17 record including a respected 3.80 earned run average.

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Entering the 2016 season, Feldman might be the odd man out of a rotation that includes Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers, Collin McHugh, Mike Fiers, and Doug Fister.

Overall, Feldman is an 11-year MLB veteran. He has compiled a 4.42 career ERA in just under 1200 innings (1198.0).

The majority of his work came from his time with the Texas Rangers. I am optimistic that Feldman learned how to pitch in the major leagues after struggling to find himself at the end of the 2000's. In 8 years with the Rangers, Feldman posted a 4.81 ERA in 727 2/3 innings pitched.

In the time spent outside of Rangers employment, Scott has yielded much better results. Only in 90 2/3 innings in the American League East has Feldman posted an ERA north of 4 since the 2012 season. Without much analysis, I reject the argument that 2013-present is a small sample size, as 470 1/3 innings is nearly 40% of his time in the major leagues.

For the most part, Feldman has a three pitch offering. Brooks Baseball credits his brief 2015 work including an upper 80s cut-fastball and sinker with a typical 75 mph curve ball.

Feldman's ability to stick in the rotation depends on his ability to keep the ball on the ground as well as in the ballpark. During his tenure with the Rangers, he was consistently in the 50-60% range for ground balls. While that figure dipped for a few years, there is evidence to suggest he can recover a 50% mark. Between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, albeit a 72 inning discrepancy, Feldman increased his ground ball rate by 2%.

Feldman is a respected MLB veteran. While the Astros certainly have a youth movement in progress, I believe that retaining Feldman and his $8 million 2016 contract is a key to winning a World Series this October.