Astros Trade Wilton Lopez to Rockies for Alex White, Prospect Alex Gillingham

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.