Brett Oberholtzer

Oberholtzer opened the year as the No. 3 starter in Houston's rotation, but went 0-6 with a 5.68 ERA before he was subsequently demoted to the minors. For the next month and a half, he flip-flopped back and forth between Triple-A and Houston, filling in when injuries to other starters warranted it, but didn't stick with the team until after the All-Star break. In 24 starts, the second-year southpaw went 5-13 with a 4.39 ERA, but he pitched a lot better than his record indicates. A 3.62 FIP suggests Oberholtzer was a bit unlucky, and despite a poor 5.9 K/9, he kept his walks down (1.8 BB/9) and did a fairly good job keeping the ball inside the park (0.8 HR/9). With solid ratios, he's once again a favorite to break camp as a starter for the Astros.

Oberholtzer, a 24-year-old southpaw, opened eyes within the Astros' organization after a successful audition in the starting rotation following the team's trade of Bud Norris. In his first major league start, Oberholzter pitched seven scoreless innings in a win over the Orioles, permitting only three hits (no walks) while striking out six. He went on to record six additional quality starts en route to a 2.76 ERA and 1.10 WHIP overall. His 45:13 K:BB ratio over 71.2 innings was solid enough to give Oberholtzer a likely spot in the Astros' Opening Day rotation.

The 23-year-old Oberholtzer posted passable stats at Double and Triple-A with a 4.39 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across the two levels. His command was much better in 2012 than it was in 2011, lowering his walk rate and improving his K/BB. There is still more work to be done on his game, but with a strong start in Triple-A next year, he could push for a callup in 2013 as part of the Astros' rebuilding rotation.