The Swiss Army knife prospect hoping to make Houston's Opening Day roster

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Logan VanWey is used to being somewhat under the radar. Perhaps it’s only fitting that his locker inside the Astros’ clubhouse at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches is tucked away behind a wall partition and out of sight from most of his teammates.

VanWey, a 26-year-old right-handed relief pitcher invited to Major League camp, is the definition of a hidden gem, and not because of his locker position. Longtime Astros scout Jim Stevenson helped discover VanWey, first at Division II program Missouri Southern State, where he went undrafted, before signing him from the independent Pioneer League in 2022.

The Astros watched VanWey -- pronounced “Van Why” -- become one of the organization’s most dominant relievers. In 104 career Minor League games, he has a 3.21 ERA with 177 strikeouts in 129 innings, which is 12.35 strikeouts per nine innings. Last year at Triple-A Sugar Land, he had a 3.22 ERA, .225 opponents’ batting average and 98 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings.

“Triple-A is really good competition, especially with the ABS [Automated Ball-Strike System],” he said. “You’ve got to throw strikes. The hitters don’t have to swing as much. You have to be more fine-tuned on what you’re throwing them. I’d say I kind of took the same mentality that I did in Double-A [Corpus Christi] and Triple-A and keep trusting my stuff and knowing I’m here for a reason. Just see what I can do.”

VanWey is a dark horse candidate to make the Opening Day roster, especially with Kaleb Ort and Shawn Dubin slowed by injuries. VanWey creates deception with a somewhat unorthodox delivery and is resolute in his ability to bounce back. He was the Space Cowboys’ Swiss Army knife in the bullpen.

“When I need to win the game, whether it was the sixth, seventh or eighth,” Sugar Land manager Mickey Storey said when asked how he used VanWey. “When the game needs it, he can really elevate his game. Digs deep, the fastball gets faster. He was the unsung hero of the bullpen.”

VanWey, who stands 6-foot-2, has a compact delivery and lower release point in which the arm lags, which can surprise hitters. His fastball averages 94 mph and can hit 96, and he throws a sweeper, sinker, cutter and changeup.

“When I’m throwing, I feel like I’m moving smooth … and I’ll watch videos or I’ll still see pitchers and I’m like, ‘I don’t feel like I’m that funky, but it looks pretty funky,’” VanWey said. “There’s some good things. What I lack in some traits of my mechanics, I make up for, like good hip mobility.”

VanWey, who’s from Joplin, Mo., spent four years as a reliever in college before moving to the rotation his fifth and final season. The thought process was that throwing more innings would mean more chances for him to be seen by scouts.

“My first two or three starts were kind of rocky just because of that transition from bullpen to starter is a little different,” he said. “After that, I kind of found a good rhythm, good results.”

In advance of the Draft, the Astros invited VanWey to what was then Minute Maid Park for a workout. He threw 92-93 mph in front of a group of Astros scouts and front office personnel.

“We stayed in contact a little bit and Jim got a hold of me on Draft day and said, ‘Hey if you don’t get picked up, we’re going to sign you on a free-agent deal,’” he said.

VanWey and his teammates had just finished a 12-hour bus ride to Idaho for a game when he got the call from Stevenson following the Draft that the Astros were going to sign him for the free-agent minimum.

“I was in the lobby of the hotel and everyone knew I was kind of one of the guys maybe looking to get picked up,” VanWey said. “They were looking at me like, ‘Did you get a phone call?’ I gave them a thumbs-up.”

VanWey has made the most of his opportunity and could be getting an even bigger call at some point this year -- the call to the big leagues.

“I always thought I had the stuff to keep playing professionally,” he said. “It was just whether or not anyone wanted to take a chance on me. Me and my buddies always joked that we’d do anything, we’d buy a plane ticket if it meant getting a chance to keep playing.”