Houston Astros star pitcher Framber Valdez has emphatically established himself as one of the more dominating hurlers in the American League. And his run of form is being noticed by those around him.
Astros catcher Martin Maldonado spoke with reporters following Valdez's start on Thursday. During his media availability, he dropped a bombshell assessment on his teammate.
“I think Framber is a $200 million pitcher. That’s how high I am on Framber,” Maldonado said. “He pitches deep into games… I've always been high on Framber.”
The Astros pitcher reacted to the claim during an interview on Friday. “If he says I'm worth $200 million, I might be worth more,” he joked.
He also had a lot of high praise for this battery mate. “He's a great teammate. And he's a great friend,” Valdez said. “He knows what he's talking about.”
Valdez is undeniably a candidate in the American League Cy Young Race. Sporting an 11-4 record, the 28-year-old has pitched to a 2.74 ERA with 128 strikeouts in 142 innings pitched. He has thrown 19 consecutive quality starts, an Astros franchise record.
“I feel proud of it,” Valdez said after his start Thursday. “This is something that’s [close to] a record for the team, a record for me, as well. It’s something that, I think, just shows the fruits of my labor, the fruits of all my dedication and all the hard work I've put in.”
The 28-year-old Astros All-Star has thrown more innings than any pitcher in the major leagues. Valdez doesn't mind the workload, however, if he's able to help his team succeed.
“My body feels good,” he said. “I’ve been working really hard just to be able to throw all these innings and just continue to be able to throw a lot more innings to help the team and be able to do a great job for the team on the field.”
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