Christopher Salamida Stats & Scouting Report

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Salamida was a 13th-round find by area scout Mike Maggart, who previously stole Wade Miller and Tim Redding for the Astros. Signed for $20,000, Salamida headed to Tri-City, based just five minutes from where he grew up, and became the New York-Penn League's most dominant pitcher, leading the circuit in wins, ERA and opponent average. A two-way player at Division III Oneonta State, Salamida is a good athlete who repeats his low three-quarters delivery well. His arm angle makes his 89-91 mph fastball seem quicker, as does a changeup that rates as a plus pitch at times. His slider needs the most refinement, and he doesn't consistently stay on top of the pitch. He likes to cross up hitters by pitching backward. Houston compares his competitive drive to Mark Buehrle's, and thinks Salamida could become a No. 5 starter or a middle reliever. If the Astros don't send him to high Class A to begin 2007, he should get there by the end of the year.

The proverbial crafy lefty, Salamida's success was too much for league observers to ignore. After dropping his first start despite not giving up any earned runs, he won his final 10 decisions in the regular season before losing to Kontos in the league championship game. Salamida led the NY-P in wins (10) and ERA (1.06). A two-way player at Division II SUNY Oneonta, Salamida has average size, average stuff and well above-average control, as well as a knack for pitching and moxie. His fastball sat in the upper 80s and touched 90, and he threw his changeup (his best secondary pitch) and slider for strikes with maddening regularity. He's the kind of pitcher who will have to prove himself at every level, but so far, so good. "Most guys in the league were one-pitch guys," Greer said. "This was a four-pitch guy who could throw breaking balls for strikes in fastball counts, then freeze a hitter with an 0-2 fastball. He was impressive."