WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Arrighetti’s the name and piling up strikeouts seems to be his game.
So how does one of the Houston Astros’ top prospects feel about his best pitch when it's at its best?
Spencer Arrighetti is now at his first big league camp. His approach? “I just need to throw the ball well,” Arrighetti said last week. “I need to (just) go be Spencer.
“I need to go attack the zone.”
That type of mindset worked most of last season, as he was named the organization's minor league pitcher of the year.
He's also from the Houston area, having grown up in Katy, and graduated from Cinco Ranch High School.
The Astros think so highly of him, manager Joe Espada made sure Arrighetti's locker in the clubhouse was next to Justin Verlander’s; as well as others from the big league rotation.
“I always encouraged (young) guys to just go and pick their brains,” said Espada.
“Joe said he put you in this spot for a reason,” KHOU 11’s Jason Bristol said on February 16 to Arrighetti. “So what's it like having a locker next to Justin Verlander?"
”It’s a really, really cool experience,” Arrighetti answered . “I've been a huge baseball fan since I started playing t-ball when Justin Verlander has been on the TV since then.”
“Are you taking advantage of it?” Bristol asked. “Or are you going to take advantage of it because I think I might be a little intimidated?”
“I am a little intimidated at first,” Arrighetti said. “I mean, I would be lying to say that I could just comfortably talking in full conversation with him. But you know, I am building up to it. I'm introducing myself saying hello, here and there. Have a great day. And eventually, I'll work myself up to the question.”
How Arrighetti has worked his way up through the system is no joke. He’s posted stellar strikeout numbers along the way. Between Double- and Triple-A last season, Arrighetti fanned more than 10 hitters per nine innings.
Now is also the time to learn more about his best pitch.
“Your best pitch at its best,” Bristol asked. “How would you describe it?”
“My best pitch at its best is probably a sweeping slider,” Arrighetti said. “I technically throw two different sliders - there's a short, hard one and a bigger, still kind of hard one, and that big one when it's good, it's good. It's really sweeping and it holds its line pretty well.
“Righties hate it, so I love it.”
That’s Spencer Arrighetti, who’s making a name for himself – one ‘K’ at a time.