It would be hard to blame Atlanta Braves fans for not keeping track of all the pitchers who came and went this past season.
Not only did the Braves use a franchise-record 46 pitchers to make it through the season, but they signed several others who never wound up making a major league appearance. One of the latter was right-hander Amos Willingham, who they claimed off waivers from the Washington Nationals in January.
Willingham had pitched in the majors for Washington in each of his two previous seasons, but wound up spending the whole year in the minors for the Braves. He pitched at four levels, making 22 of his 31 appearances for Double-A Columbus, and ended the year with a 5.17 ERA, but struck out 64 batters in 55 2/3 innings.
A Rome, Ga. native who was drafted out of Georgia Tech, Willingham likely would have loved to establish himself as a full-time big-leaguer on his hometown team. But after assessing his options at the end of the season, it appeared his best chances to do so were in another organization.
According to the transactions log on his official roster page, Willingham recently signed a minor-league deal with the Houston Astros for the upcoming season. The deal was signed on Friday, but was not reflected on the log until several days later.
Willingham’s 19 major league appearances to this point have resulted in a 7.11 ERA and just 16 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. Entering his age-27 season, he’s definitely on the clock when it comes to proving his ability to stick on a major league roster.
The Astros have some openings in the bullpen, but it’s unlikely they’ll promote Willingham to the majors to start the season unless he completely tears up spring training. At this point, every time he takes the mound is a crucial opportunity to prove he can keep runs off the board.
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