Astros Add Five Players to 40-man Roster
Deadline to protect players in advance of Rule 5 Draft is tonight at 7 p.m. CT
HOUSTON, TX - The Houston Astros have added five players to their 40-man roster in preparation for the 2015 Rule 5 Draft, including catcher Alfredo Gonzalez and right-handed pitchers Jandel Gustave, Juan Minaya, Joe Musgrove and David Paulino. Additional roster moves can be made in advance of tonight's 7 p.m. CT deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. The announcement was made by Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow.
Gonzalez, 23, hit .321 (80x249) with six doubles, two home runs, 35 RBI and a .409 on-base percentage in 72 games across three levels of minor league ball last season. He finished his season at Double A Corpus Christi, where he hit .300 (30x100) with 12 RBI and a .395 OBP in 32 games. Defensively, Gonzalez caught 24 of 51 attempting basestealers for a 47% mark. A native of Venezuela, Gonzalez was originally signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent on July 23, 2008.
Gustave, 23, had a stellar season with Corpus Christi in 2015, posting a 5-2 record with 20 saves and a 2.15 ERA (14ER/58.2IP) in 46 relief appearances en route to being named a Texas League Midseason All-Star. He also led all Astros minor leaguers in saves, converting 20 of 24 opportunities. Gustave was selected in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft by Boston, was subsequently traded and then claimed off waivers before being returned to Houston on April 3, 2015. A native of the Dominican Republic, Gustave was originally signed by Houston as a non-drafted free agent on May 25, 2010.
Minaya, 25, combined to go 1-0 with a 2.80 ERA (17ER/54.2IP) in 35 relief appearances with Triple A Fresno (6g) and Corpus Christi (29g) in 2015. He recorded 59 strikeouts in his 54.2 innings and allowed just two home runs all season. The 6-foot-4 native of the Dominican Republic has played seven seasons in the Astros organization since being signed as a non-drafted free agent on Sept. 3, 2008.
Musgrove, 22, was the Astros 2015 Minor League Pitcher of the Year after combining to go 12-1 with a 1.88 ERA (21ER/100.2IP), 99 strikeouts and just eight walks between Corpus Christi (8g), Class A Advanced Lancaster (6g) and Class A Quad Cities (5g). Acquired by the Astros in the 10-player trade with Toronto in July of 2012, the 6-foot-5, right-hander led all of minor league baseball with a 12.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio (min. 100IP), the highest mark produced by a minor league pitcher since at least 2006. A supplemental first round pick by the Blue Jays in 2011 (46th overall), Musgrove posted the fourth-best ERA in the minors this season with a 1.88 mark.
Paulino, 21, went 5-3 with a save and a 2.81 ERA (21ER/67.1IP) in 13 games (12 starts) across three levels of Class A ball in 2015. He struck out 72 hitters in his 67.1 innings pitched, allowed a .200 opponent batting average and a 1.01 WHIP. Standing at 6-foot-7, Paulino was acquired by Houston along with outfielder Danry Vasquez from Detroit in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jose Veras on July 29, 2013.
With these five additions, the Astros 40-man roster now stands at 39 players.
-ASTROS-