If the Houston Astros are going to take a step forward this season, it’s likely that Jordan Lyles will also progress forward. The Astros clearly are counting on Lyles to become their ace and the prospect rose to the Major Leagues last season earlier than some might have expected and found his own ups and downs along the way. The flashes were there, however, and the team hopes he can make good moving forward.
He’s also receiving some extra attention this spring from Astros pitching coach Jon Matlack.
“We’re just tweaking some things that people have seen in my delivery that maybe there’s more energy I can put into it and the velocity would be greater,” Lyles said. “We were really bouncing thoughts off of each other, and he was asking me, ‘What am I thinking? What am I doing?’ He’s trying to get the most out of my frame and my delivery.”
“It’s always great to hear another person’s view,” he continued. “I can talk to them about what they see and what ideas they have. You never know what someone could say and it just clicks for you. You never know who it’s going to come from or what they’re going to say, but the more people you hear from the better. I’m trying to be the best I can be and get everything I can out of myself.”
Lyles went 2-8 last season with a 5.36 ERA.