Armenteros: Pitcher of the Year

CORPUS CHRISTI - Rogelio Armenteros is the Hooks Pitcher of the Year for 2017, team president Ken Schrom announced Thursday.

Armenteros, 23, was South Division starting pitcher in the Texas League All-Star Game at Frisco on June 27. At the time of his promotion to Triple-A Fresno five days later, he stood 2-3 with a 1.93 earned run average. Armenteros, who made 14 appearances and 10 starts as a 2017 Hook, struck out 74 batters in 65 1/3 innings. He allowed 49 hits, 14 earned runs, and 19 walks. Armenteros compiled an impressive 1.04 WHIP and opponents mustered just a .207 batting average.
"Rogelio had a fantastic season," Schrom said of mlbpipeline.com's No. 23 Astros prospect. "As he got more and more comfortable here, he really blossomed. And, look at what he did at Triple-A. He went there and enjoyed a smooth transition. In fact, he was 5-0 in five July starts."
At Fresno, the right-hander's brilliance continued. Armenteros won eight of 10 starts, suffered one loss, and posted a 2.16 ERA. He recorded 72 strikeouts over 58 1/3 frames, yielded 42 hits, walked 19, and booked a 1.05 WHIP and .203 batting average against. In consecutive August starts against Las Vegas and Tacoma, he allowed just one hit over seven and eight innings, respectively.
Armenteros debuted for the Hooks at Arkansas on August 21, 2016. In three 2016 Double-A starts, he went 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA.
In each of the last two seasons, Armenteros has led the Houston system in strikeouts (140/146).
Armenteros was signed as a non-drafted free agent by Houston on September 15, 2014. In 2012, at the age of 18, he defected from Cuba.