Tropeano enjoying first big league camp

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- One of the promising young arms the Astros have in camp who doesn't get as much attention as guys like Mike Foltynewicz and Asher Wojciechowski is right-hander Nick Tropeano, who put together a pretty solid season last year, going 7-10 with a 4.11 ERA in 28 games (20 starts) at Double-A Corpus Christi.

Tropeano, a fifth-round Draft pick in 2011, is likely headed for the Triple-A rotation to start the year.

"The camp's going great," he said. "Just being here in my first big league camp and getting to meet all the guys and [picking] some of the guys' brains, it's really beneficial for me and my career."

Tropeano said he had mixed feelings about the season he had last year, but he was overall pretty happy with his progress. He was 5-4 with a 3.75 ERA in his final 10 starts and contributed in the playoffs.

"I stayed healthy, which was the most important thing, and you learn from it," the pitcher said. "Every year is a learning experience, and I'm hoping I get back out there next year. I just focused on my fastball command, and I felt last year was a real improvement from the year before."