Rockies acquire RHP Wilton Lopez from Houston
DENVER – The Colorado Rockies announced today that the club has acquired right-handed pitcher Wilton Lopez and a player to be named later or cash considerations from the Houston Astros in exchange for right-handed pitchers Alex White and Alex Gillingham.
Lopez, 29, spent all of the 2012 season in the Astros bullpen as a late-inning reliever for the third-straight season. The Leon, Nicaragua native went 6-3 with 10 saves, a 2.17 ERA (66.1 ip, 16 er), 8 walks and 54 strikeouts in 64 games for Houston in 2012. Over his four Major League seasons (2009-2012), Lopez is 13-11 with 11 saves, a 3.14 ERA (223.2 ip, 78 er), 39 walks and 169 strikeouts in 213 games, all with Houston. Lopez owns a career 68.1-percent ground ball percentage, including a 70.1-percent mark in 2012. Among Major League relievers with at least 150 appearances since 2010, Lopez’s 31 walks are the third fewest, behind only Rafael Betancourt (28 BB) and Sergio Romo (29 BB).
White, 24, split the 2012 season between Triple-A Colorado Springs and in the Majors with Colorado. With the Rockies he went 2-9 with a 5.51 ERA (98.0 ip, 60 er), 51 walks and 64 strikeouts in 23 games/20 starts. In his two Major League seasons with Colorado (2011-12) and Cleveland (2011), White is 5-13 with a 6.03 ERA (149.1 ip, 100 er), 76 walks and 101 strikeouts in 33 games/30 starts. White was originally acquired by Colorado along with LHP Drew Pomeranz, RHP Joe Gardner and INF/OF Matt McBride from Cleveland in exchange for Ubaldo Jimenez on July 31, 2011.
Gillingham, 23, spent the entire 2012 season at Single-A Asheville where he went 6-8 with a 3.66 ERA (123.0 ip, 50 er), 28 walks and 83 strikeouts in 19 starts. The 2012 season was Gillingham’s first full Minor League season, as he spent 2011 at Rookie-level Casper. He was originally drafted by Colorado in the 11th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Loyola Marymount (Calif.) University.
The Rockies currently have 38 players on the 40-man roster.