Brandon Bielak

There are two competing theories in life; either do one thing very well, or do many things decently. Bielak falls in the latter category as he does not have any one particularly great skill or pitch, but he can throw a handful of pitches and work the zone with regularity. As a rookie in 2020, Bielak took his lumps as he struggled to consistently locate his pitches, resulting in a combination of too many walks, hittable pitches and home runs. Dean Wormer told Blutarsky that fat, drunk and stupid was a hell of a way to go through life, and would tell Bielak lots of walks, hits and homers is not the way to succeed in baseball. Blutarsky eventually went on to become President of the United States, so Bielak may eventually win the Cy Young and MVP in the same season. That just isn't happening in 2021.

Bielak is a typical Astros pitching prospect, featuring a high-spin four-seam fastball, a plus circle change along with a developing curve and slider. The organization has made a science of working to a pitcher's strengths, giving Bielak a chance to make it as a back-end starter despite lacking a dominant pitch. The righthander began 2019 with Double-A Corpus Christi, posting a 3.75 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 36 innings, allowing just three homers. His home run rate picked up after a promotion to Triple-A Round Rock as Bielak surrendered 10 dingers in 85.2 frames, throwing the same ball used in the majors. That said, he fanned 86, a good showing for a 23-year old in his first stint at Triple-A. Bielak is ticketed for a return to the Express. He still has starting aspirations but needs to continue honing his secondary offerings. A 2020 callup is possible as a spot-starter or bulk reliever.