Forrest Whitley...finally
After a tumultuous journey, the 2016 first rounder is finally getting his shot at the highest level.
Last night, Forrest Whitley made his season debut. Over two innings of work, Whitley operated in the 95-97 mph range on his sinker and complemented it with two distinct breaking balls—a slurve and a curveball—in the low-mid 80s. He struck out 2 and the only runner to reach base did so on a dropped third strike. Yesterday’s outing brings his career MLB innings total to 5 1/3, which given his journey since being drafted, is 5 1/3 innings more than many expected. Now a full-time relief pitcher, Whitley has the stuff to be a dominant backend arm for the Houston Astros this season and beyond.
Drafted 17th overall in 2016, Forrest Whitley quickly emerged as a top prospect, reaching a peak ranking of 7th overall in 2019 and being named the top-ranked pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline in both 2018 and 2019. In his first full season, Whitley reached Double-A, joining only Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Zack Greinke, and Dylan Bundy as high school-drafted pitchers to achieve that level in their first professional season. He would excel in his 14 1/3 innings with the AA Corpus Christi Hooks, allowing only 3 earned runs and posting a 26:4 K:BB ratio.
In February of 2018, Whitley was hit with a 50 game suspension for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The follow up to his strong 2017 would be put on hold until June 8th, 2018 when he would pitch 4 scoreless innings for the Hooks, surrendering only 1 hit and striking out five. His truncated season would be cut even shorter by a nagging oblique injury. He finished 2018 with only 26 1/3 innings pitched, 11 earned runs allowed (7 of them in one outing), and 34 strikeouts. The following season could generously be described as a disaster. He reached as high as AAA, but posted a 12.21 ERA in 24 1/3 innings there and suffered through a myriad of injuries. From there, Forrest Whitley would not pitch in a professional game until 2022.
COVID dissolved the 2020 minor league season and in March of 2021 Whitley had Tommy John surgery which knocked him out for the entire season. His return to professional baseball was rocky. In 2022 and 2023, at the AAA level, he combined to pitch only 63 innings, posting a 6.43 ERA. His 2023 would also end prematurely when he suffered a lat strain in May.
2024 proved to be a breakthrough year for Whitley. The Astros’ decision to transition him into a full-time reliever paid immediate dividends, with a 1.89 ERA in 33 1/3 innings at AAA, followed by an unblemished start to his MLB career. Given the obstacles since being drafted—suspension, a plethora of injuries, and the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic—Whitley’s perseverance and the Astros’ decade long faith in him are now being rewarded. If his 2025 debut was any indication, Whitley looks well-positioned to make an impact in the backend of the Astros bullpen this season