Hello everyone. I’m back from vacation and the first order of business is to get back to letting you know who I think is the next generation of players.
As the season progresses, a number of players are starting to come forward as players who should be included in your squad. One of those players is Spencer Arrighetti of the Houston Astros.
When it comes to the Astros, not much has gone right for the team this year. One of the few bright spots has been Arrighetti, a right winger now in his third season with the club.
So let’s take a look at why Arrighetti is a dynasty player in the making.
Statistics
| A YEAR | TEAM | GS | WL | IP | The ERA | WHIP | H/9 | BB/9 | K/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | The Astros | 29-28 | 7-13 | 145 | 4.53 | 1.407 | 8.6 | 4.0 | 10.6 |
| 2025 | The Astros | 7-7 | 1-5 | 35.1 | 5.35 | 1.415 | 7.6 | 5.1 | 7.9 |
| 2026 | The Astros | 6-6 | 5-1 | 36 | 1.50 | 1.194 | 5.5 | 5.3 | 8.8 |
| Work | 42-41 | 13-19 | 216.1 | 4.16 | 1.373 | 7.9 | 4.4 | 9.9 |
Spencer Arrighetti broke out with the Astros in 2024, and his overall numbers were poor with a 4.53 ERA and 1.407 WHIP. But as the season progressed, he found his groove and became one of the better hitters on the staff in the second half. In the first half, he had a 5.63 ERA and a 1.600 WHIP. He then posted a 3.18 ERA and 1.169 WHIP in the second half, which included 11 starts and 12 games overall.
Last season was a disaster for Arrighetti as he missed most of the season recovering from a minor accident when he broke his thumb when he was hit with a ball while taking batting practice. He got off to a good start as he had a 2.08 ERA and 0.865 WHIP in his first three starts. But when he returned in August, he went 0-4 in his four starts with an 8.50 ERA and a 1.944 WHIP.
This season, he started the year in Triple-A as he lost the battle for the last rotation spot. But with injuries and the ineffectiveness of several healthy starters, Arrighetti earned a spot back in the rotation and became a staff hero with Hunter Brown in the IL.
Tools
Spencer Arrighetti has the biggest breaking curve in the game, at least compared to other right-handed pitchers. He averaged 17.8 inches of break, which is 8.5 inches more than other right-handed pitchers. His 6.4 inch drop is 3.9 inches less than the average righty.
His curve is also a slow pitch, coming in at 4.3 mph slower than the average right-handed pitcher. The results when you throw a curve are outstanding. Opposing hitters have just a .075 batting average and SLG, going 3-for-40 with three singles and 22 strikeouts as the pitch produces a 50% strikeout rate.
In a day and age of high-velocity pitches, Arrighetti’s 4-seamer is the pitch he uses to set everything else up as it clocks in at just 92.7 mph, 2.4 mph faster than the average 4-seamer.
Despite the below-average pitch speed, hitters have a hard time hitting it. Opposing hitters only have a .156 batting average against his fastball with a .188 SLG.
The sweeper is his third favorite pitch, and it plays well in his swing. Arrighetti throws the pitch about two miles per hour faster than his curve and breaks 17.2 inches, which is 3.3 inches more compared to baseline. Additionally, you actually get about two inches of height per pitch.
So while his sweeper breaks almost as much as his curve, this note stays high in the strike zone while his curve breaks. While Arrighetti’s sweeper doesn’t have the high rate of curveball it produces, hitters only have a .190 batting average against the pitch and a .381 SLG.
Arrighetti doesn’t throw his sinker much, and when he does, especially against righties, he throws it 20% of the time vs. righties vs. 4% vs. lefties. He throws the pitch higher on the hitters as he averages 1.1 inches lower compared to other RHPs and has a tail of two inches more than righties. However, opposing hitters have had success against the pitch as they have a .364 average against the pitch, although they only have a .364 SLG.
- Switch/ Cutter: 9%/7% | 84.0/87.1 mph
These two pitches are rarely used and are often thrown to give the opposing hitter something else to see. Hitters have a .444 average and .556 SLG against the changeup but only a .167/.250 slash line against the cutter.
Results
After a difficult 2025 season, Spencer Arrighetti has righted the ship this season. In his six starts, he hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs, and the most runs he’s allowed are 3 against the Reds. His last start against Texas was his best of the season. In 7.1 innings of work, he allowed just one hit with five strikeouts while walking four.
Travel is one area of concern for Arrighetti. For his career, he averaged 4.4 BB/9, and that number is up from 5.3 BB/9 this year. The good news is that he has a lot of movement in his pitches, hitters can’t be hit. In his three years of high school, his H/9 has dropped from 8.6 to 7.6 to 5.5 this year. When it comes to strikes, he’s been up and down that door.
In his start this year, he struck out 10 batters in six innings. But he hasn’t matched that number since, with eight K’s in seven career innings his second-best hitting streak of the year. Overall, he averaged 8.8 K/9 this year, better than last season but lower than his 2025 season.
The decision
Since pitching is always a necessity, there’s no reason not to pursue Spencer Arrighetti in the short term, as he has a 1.50 ERA and 1.19 WHIP and nearly a strikeout per inning average.
But you also have to look for him for the long-term value he will give you. Last season was a lost cause for Arrighetti as he never recovered from injury. But over his final 14 games in 2024 and his first six starts this season, Arrighetti has a 2.57 ERA and a 1.188 WHIP. Those are pretty good numbers, regardless of who the pitcher is.
Those in the Yahoo league will have a hard time adding him to their roster as he is owned in 62% of leagues. In ESPN leagues, he is only listed in 45% of the league. Meanwhile, for Fantrax, it is possible to trade him as he is listed in 90% of the league.
Whether you can add him as a free agent or have to trade him, Arrighetti is a great target to pursue. Trading him right now would cost you more than six weeks ago because of how well he’s playing. Will he continue to have such a great ERA? It can’t happen. However, I don’t think he will fall off a cliff and post the numbers he did last year. He has proven that when he is healthy, he is a very effective striker, who will help your staff without a doubt.
Thank you!
Thanks for reading, and come back next week.
