TCB March Madness 2013: Jose Veras Vs Adrian Houser

TCB's Astros Fan Favorite March Madness Tournament is underway. From now until the end of Spring Training 64 players will spend the next several weeks facing off in a head to head public vote to determine who advances to the next round and who will eventually be crowned the communities favorite Astros player. For more details click here for the introductory post.

The rules are simple determine which player you want to advance to the next by voting for that player. Any excellent arguments made for an advancing player in the comments below may be used in the players description for the next round. Vote subjectively, objectively or by using your trusty magic eight ball. Votes will last exactly 24 hours.

In this match-up:

7 - Jose Veras

Jose Veras, one of the many newcomers to the Astros, posted a 3.63 ERA in 67 innings with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2012. Veras' FIP (3.59) xFIP (3.84) and SIERA (3.62) indicate he should continue to provide positive relief value for the Astros in 2013. He's penciled in as the team's closer.

Vs

58 - Adrian Houser

The 2011 second round selection by the Astros Adrian Houser hasn't quite lived up to his billing as a second roundpick so far in his minor league career. In two seasons he's only pitched 106 innings, 58 of which came in 2012, with a 4.25 ERA. There are some positive signs though for Houser going forward as a prospect. In 2012 his 3.01 FIP was a full run lower than his 4.03 ERA indicating he wasn't getting the results of his talent level. 58 innings is an extremely small sample size for a pitching prospect so take all these numbers with a grain of salt but 2013 could be a breakout year for Houser as a prospect.