Let’s stick with the Astros for one more. This time it’s Chris Devenski (Woodstock 2011), who is not as highly touted as Tyler White, but he’s still held in high esteem. Two outlets have writeups on Chris.
First of all, Fangraphs has Chris at #23 in the Houston system:
Devenski was a position player late into his amateur career. Drafted by the White Sox, he joined the Astros in the Brett Myers trade in 2012. He really pitched well in Double-A as a starter with a track record of decent success. The Astros like him most in the bullpen where his competitiveness and strike-throwing profile best. He’s a fairly safe bet to be a swing man in the future despite middling stuff, with an above-average changeup that helps to get hitters off their timing. He has a very outside chance of working into a number-five starter role, but the rest of his arsenal likely won’t give him enough to work with going through a lineup multiple times.
And mlb.com has him at #24:
A two-way player at Golden West (Calif.) JC, Devenski became a full-time pitcher at Cal State Fullerton in 2011 and signed for $55,000 as a 25th-round pick of the White Sox. After Chicago shipped him to the Astros a year later as the player to be named in the Brett Myers trade, Devenski recorded a 5.08 ERA in his first two-plus seasons with his new organization. He broke out in 2015, ranking second in the Double-A Texas League with a 3.01 ERA and throwing seven one-hit innings to win the Triple-A Baseball National Championship in his first start at that level.
Devenski’s success can be attributed to one pitch. He taught himself a circle changeup early in his pro career and it has developed into a plus offering that gets swings and misses from left-handed and right-handed hitters. His changeup is the main reason he held lefties to a .210/.267/.296 batting line last season.
Though Devenski hit 96 mph in the Triple-A playoff, his fastball usually sits at 89-91 mph and maxes out at 93. He can throws his fastball and curveball for strikes, but they’re fringy pitches that lead to questions about his long-term future as a starter. He doesn’t beat himself with home runs or walks, and he earns raves for his competitiveness and work ethic, so he has a chance to sneak into the back of a big league rotation.
Some good stuff in here- makes it sound like Chris will most likely make the majors at some point. Congrats!
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