Astros Trade Wilton Lopez to Rockies for Alex White and prospect Alex Gillingham

The Houston Astros traded reliever Wilton Lopez to the Colorado Rockies Tuesday evening, receiving right-handed starter Alex White and minor league prospect Alex Gillingham in return. Here's the take on Gillingham.

Alex Gillingham, RHP: Gillingham was drafted in the 11^th round in 2011, out of Loyola Marymount University, where he'd gone 8-4, 2.49 in 14 starts, with a 78/24 K/BB in 112 innings. Assigned to Low-A Asheville for 2012, he posted a 3.66 ERA in 123 innings, with an 83/28 K/BB ratio and 122 hits allowed. He was strong down the stretch and posted a 2.82 ERA in his last 10 starts for Asheville.

Gillingham is a 6-3, 200 pound right-hander, born October 17, 1989. Although effective in both college and pro ball so far, his prospect status has been limited by mediocre velocity, but he has a good slider, can change speeds, and keeps the ball low in the strike zone, racking up grounders. His most interesting sabermetric data point is his GO/AO ratio: 3.29, after posting a 2.32 mark in the 2011 Pioneer League.

He is a fringy-type prospect or useful organizational arm at this stage, but if he continues to throw strikes efficiently and collect ground balls at higher levels, he could end up as a back-of-the-rotation starter or (more likely) a relief option.