The Houston Astros have recently inked a minor league deal with former Oakland A’s reliever Tayler Scott, who has been designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox in July and subsequently claimed by the A’s. The 31-year-old right-hander, now assigned to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, exhibited a mixed performance during the 2023 season, accumulating a 5.60 ERA across stints with the Dodgers, Red Sox, and A’s. However, his time in Oakland showcased promise, holding a more favorable 3.38 ERA over eight innings, including three scoreless innings in August, marking his last appearances in the big leagues that year.
Originally chosen in the fifth round of the 2011 Draft by the Chicago Cubs, Scott has since made appearances with six different teams since 2019. Notably, he heavily relied on his 84 mph slider, using it 47% of the time, while employing his 94 mph sinker at a 33% rate. His pitch mix also included an 8% four-seamer and an 11% changeup.
Critically, the sinker proved to be Scott’s least effective pitch, with a batting average against of .500, an expected batting average of .359, and an average exit velocity of 96.9 mph. In contrast, his other three pitches demonstrated better efficacy, as evidenced by allowing fewer hits on those offerings combined compared to the sinker alone.
As Scott enters the Astros’ system, there’s anticipation that the team may experiment with his pitch mix in the upcoming 2024 season to optimize his performance. Notably, in his brief three-inning stint with Oakland in August, Scott deviated from his season-average pitch usage, decreasing the slider to 34.5% and increasing the four-seamer to 20.7%.
Despite not fitting into Oakland’s rebuilding plans, Scott retains the potential to be a valuable reliever in the major leagues. The Astros will provide him with the opportunity to showcase his skills and possibly refine his approach, furthering his chances of making a meaningful contribution in the competitive realm of professional baseball.
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