The Astros won the World Series using 11 pitchers. Only one of them—Lance McCullers Jr.—was drafted and developed by Houston, and he gave up seven of the 17 earned runs the team allowed. Houston built the rest of its staff through international free agency (5, signed for a combined $180,000, or less than a year’s supply of baseballs for a team), trades (3) and lower-tier free agency (2).
Mostly all of Houston’s World Series pitchers throw fastballs with elite ride and breaking pitches with elite spin. Of all pitchers who threw at least 100 curveballs this year, the Astros had six of the top 23 spin rates.
The results were easy to see, as the Phillies hit .121 against the Astros’ high fastballs (4-for-33) and .154 against their spin (10-for-65). That was the story of the 2022 World Series: the Astros had more and better pitching options than did the Phillies. How they acquired them—scouting for athleticism, arm action and natural pitch properties—is a lesson for the rest of baseball.
