Astros closer Ryan Pressly made his 60th appearance of the season in yesterday’s 9-5 win over the Angels, thus reaching an important contractual milestone. As noted by The Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome, the Astros’ $10MM club option on Pressly’s services for 2022 has now vested into a fully guaranteed deal.
The original terms of Pressly’s two-year extension with the Astros guaranteed the reliever at least $17.5MM in new money, plus a $7MM club option for 2022. That $7MM figure rose to $10MM once Pressly appeared in his 40th game of the 2021 season, and the option automatically vested if Pressly made 60 or more appearances in both the 2020 and 2021 campaigns. Due to the shortened nature of the 2020 season, Pressly’s threshold for last season was adjusted to 23 games, and the right-hander hit that benchmark in Houston’s third-last game of the 60-game regular season schedule.
In all likelihood, Pressly’s option would’ve been a very easy call for the Astros to make even if he hadn’t reached the vesting threshold. The 32-year-old has been one of the best relievers in baseball this year, delivering a 2.19 ERA/2.35 SIERA over 61 2/3 innings and converting 25 of 27 save chances. As per the Statcast metrics, Pressly’s 33.2% strikeout rate and 5.0% walk rate are each in the 94th percentile, while his chase rate and spin rates on both his curveball and his 95.4mph fastball are in even more elite status (Pressly ranks first among all qualified pitchers in curve spin). To top it off, Pressly’s 54.8% grounder rate was also the best of his nine MLB seasons.
This now makes four consecutive seasons of elite work for Pressly, acquired by the Astros from the Twins in a deadline deal in 2018. Already a strong setup man, Pressly has emerged as Houston’s top ninth-inning option over the last two seasons, which only further enhanced his value to the bullpen. Pressly has been named to the AL All-Star team in both 2019 and 2021.
With Pressly’s salary now officially on the books, the Astros have $101.9MM committed to nine players (Pressly, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Michael Brantley, Lance McCullers Jr., Jake Odorizzi, Pedro Baez, Martin Maldonado, and Jason Castro). That number will almost surely rise to $109.9MM for 10 players, since Yuli Gurriel’s $8MM club option looks very likely to be exercised considering Gurriel’s impressive numbers. The team will have plenty of major holes to fill considering Carlos Correa, Zack Greinke, and the injured Justin Verlander will all be free agents, but since the Astros reset their luxury tax number and began this season with a payroll just shy of $188MM, Houston should have plenty of room to spend this winter.
Pressly remains an underrated pitcher
Dude is a stud. I’ll be happy when he’s no longer mowing us down.
Is Zack Greinke a hall of famer?
That’s a tough call. If you subscribe to the theory of what have you done for me lately, then no, however, his overall performance would be worthy for consideration IMO.
When has what have you done for me lately been a factor in being a HOF?
He is both a hall of gamer and a hall of famer. The WAR totals (73.2) and 219 wins and counting with a slightly below pitcher mean JAWS and peak WAR support his HOF case along with 2806 Ks and counting. HOFer in my book
Pitcher wins should never be a strong consideration because there are simply too many variables in today’s game. For ex., run support has always been largely out of a pitchers control, especially in the AL. Add in defense, park factor and reliever volatility (especially as starter innings keep declining) and it’s easy to see why evaluating pitchers based on W-L records is folly. Folly, I tell you!
Not a strong consideration for the modern fan but not all HOF voters see it our way.
Wins is even more of a consideration for me, with so many “starters” barely making 5 innings, or not pitching long enough to get a W. The ones that are among the league leaders in Wins won’t be a random group. They will be among the best in the league in those other categories as well.
Great point
I like that wins are not the defining stat but they show the ability to pitch to length. Maybe a run support adjusted win stat is in line… quality starts anyone?
He is also 194 K’s away from 3,000. He should/could get there, although he has definitely fallen off in the strikeout dept this year. Add in the shortened season last year and it isn’t a slam dunk anymore.
Yes, but it’s definitely close.
Greinke has had a very good career but I’m not so sure it’s been a hall of fame career. He’s been consistently among the 2nd tier of pitchers for most of his career aside from his Cy Young season but never quite in the elite tier. You also have to consider his career has existed alongside no doubt hall of famers like Scherzer, Verlander, and Kershaw. Greinke could get in eventually but he might be a guy who waits a long time
If Scherzer is sure fire then so is Greinke the numbers are comparable and in some cases Greinke’s are better.
Scherzer has 3 Cy Young awards, and quite possibly 4 after this year, to Greinke’s 1. Scherzer also has WS ring and like the Cy Young, might have another after this year. Over the past decade Scherzer has been undeniably better than Greinke
2015 was definitely elite too.
I’d say he’s an easy yes, especially with the recent additions of Mussina, Halladay, Morris, etc.
There’s several factors other than just the stat sheets that led to those 3 getting in the HOF. Mussina had a very strong career while pitching in the AL East during the steroid era. Halladay has a strong case for being the best pitcher in the entire league from 01-11 before injuries cut his career short. While he definitely has the weakest case of the 3, Morris had a great postseason run in 91 that helped his team win a WS. Morris also sat on the ballot for years before getting inducted, which is what I think could be the case for Greinke
Greinke has had an outstanding career. This year he has been ok-ish. If it weren’t for his career numbers and experience he would be out of consideration for the Astros playoff rotation. Only Jake Odorizzi has a worse ERA among Houston starters. Hall of Fame, yes. Starting playoff rotation, no.