Following last season, the Houston Astros have three pitching prospects with triple-digit radar gun speeds.
Speed is everything in baseball. Speed along the basepaths. Speed on the pitching mound. Or rather, velocity.
The emphasis on pitching velocity continues all the way down to the minor leagues. Consistency is one thing. Hitting triple digits on the radar gun is another, a stratosphere reserved for a select group.
Baseball America recently listed every minor-league talent who threw at least 100 mph during the 2024 season. After eliminating prospects who graduated from their prospect rankings this year, just 90 pitchers accomplished the accomplishment.
Three of them are in the Houston Astros organization.
Carlos Calderon threw the organization’s fastest pitch, a two-seamer that registered 101.1 mph on the radar gun.
The 23-year-old Dominican Republic native has been in the Astros’ system since 2019, playing for the Dominican Summer League squad. The right-hander spent his second season with High-A Asheville, and while he possesses impressive velocity, his record is poor. He was 0-4 with a 9.58 ERA in 14 games (six starts). He had 52 strikeouts and 30 walks in 51.2 innings. He finished the season on the injured list.
In his minor-league career, he is 14-17 with a 5.85 ERA in 98 games (34 starts). He has 318 strikeouts and 176 walks over 291 innings.
Abel Mercedes followed with a four-seam fastball that reached 100.8 mph.
The right-hander spent the whole season at Class-A Fayetteville, where he went 2-3 with a 5.16 ERA in 40 relief appearances. He converted six of his seven save chances, which could indicate that the team regards him as a future closer.
He has 74 strikeouts and 55 walks in 45.1 innings.
Houston signed the 22-year-old international free agent from the Dominican Republic, and he will begin his professional career in 2021. He also finished the season on the injured list.
Jorge Geraldo, a right-hander, finished last, throwing a four-seam fastball at 100.2 mph.
Geraldo appeared in just four games, going 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA. He struck out ten and walked ten in 7.1 innings. Another Dominican Republic native, he began his professional career in 2021 in the Dominican Summer League but did not pitch in 2022 due to a restricted list placement. This year, he received his first promotion within the United States.
Geraldo still possesses untapped potential. He has only thrown 49 professional innings and has never pitched more than 11 games in a single season. He has also yet to play for the Astros’ full-season affiliate.
