Dan Houston
| IP | 844 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.127 |
| WHIP | 1.385 |
| BB/9 | 2.996 |
| SO/9 | 6.547 |
- Full name Daniel Stewart Houston
- Born 10/24/1986 in North Palm Beach, FL
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Boston College
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Drafted in the 7th round (227th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2008 (signed for $110,000).
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Righthander Dan Houston leads a group of five Boston College players who could be drafted. Houston is the closest thing to a late pop-up guy in New England this year, pitching well in a win against Clemson in March, then shutting out Duke for seven innings in April and striking out nine in a win against Maryland on May 2. By that point in the season, scouts in the Northeast were buzzing about Houston's ability to hold his 91-93 mph velocity deep into games and touch 94. He complements his solid-average fastball with an average overhand curveball with good depth, an average changeup that he gained confidence in down the stretch, and a hard slider that can be above-average at times. He has a durable 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame and a sound delivery. Houston was hit hard in his last start against Wake Forest, and he finished 3-4, 5.03 with 72 strikeouts and 32 walks in 73 innings. Despite the poor finish, some scouts believe he profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter in the big leagues, and he could sneak into the fourth or fifth round.
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A move to the bullpen jumpstarted Houston's career, which appeared stalled at Double-A Tulsa, where he had spent all of 2012 and the second half of 2011. Back for a third tour in 2013, he moved to the bullpen when Roy Oswalt joined the Drillers rotation, and he hasn't looked back. He threw three hitless innings in his first outing, made 20 relief appearances at Tulsa and Triple-A Colorado Springs and then earned a trip to the Arizona Fall League. As a starter, Houston's fastball topped out at 92 mph and was generally around 88 mph. Out of the bullpen, he sits at 92 mph and has ticked up to 94-95 occasionally. His straight changeup has a little fade and has also become much more effective. It's an above-average pitch with the potential to further improve. Houston also developed a true cutter in 2013, a good weapon against lefthanders. He will contend for a middle-relief role in big league camp and likely begin 2014 in Triple-A.
