Astros' Starter for Spring Training Opener Revealed

Spring Training games officially start on Friday, although most teams won't get into action until Saturday. That's when the Houston Astros kick off their preseason schedule at 1:05 p.m. ET against the New York Mets in a potential World Series preview.

On Wednesday, the Astros revealed which pitchers their fans can expect to see take the mound on Saturday.

Astros Spring Training Opener

According to beat reporter Brian McTaggart, manager Dusty Baker plans to start Brandon Bielak for Houston in an opener-type role. Bielak made just five appearances for Houston last year -- all in relief -- and has started only eight of his 45 career games in the big leagues since debuting in 2020.

Baker plans to follow the 26-year-old right-hander with relievers Ronel Blanco, Enoli Paredes, Austin Davis, Devin Conn, Joe Record and Jayden Murray. Blanco and Paredes both pitched sparingly for the Astros last year, while Davis was a free-agent addition this offseason. Conn, Record and Murray are all minor leaguers looking to make the team this year.

For many Astros fans, this will be their first chance to catch a glimpse of some potential new additions to the 2023 roster. It's not the most exciting group of arms and doesn't feature any of the big names that helped the club win the World Series last year, but it will be a good test nevertheless against a star-studded Mets lineup that won 101 games in 2022 (assuming some of New York's big boppers play).