In 1993, Pedro Astacio was looking like a perfect addition to a starting staff that included Hershiser, Candiotti, Ramon Martinez and Kevin Gross. After spending 4 years rising through the Dodgers minor league system, he quickly established himself as the teams newest pitching star. He won a team high 14 games that season and recorded a 3.57 ERA. Unfortunately, he would not prove to be the answer the team was looking for. Before long, new Dodger pitchers came into the fold to push him down the depth charts. Ismael Valdez, Hideo Nomo and Chan Ho Park would come into town and would soon flourish in Blue while Pedro floundered. By 1997, Pedro Astacio be the odd man out and be traded to the Rockies for Eric Young. While in Colorado, he would reestablish his footing and become a reliable innings eater in a stadium known to become a pitchers graveyard.
Here's a little tidbit about Pedro Astacio I'm sure you didn't know. Via Wikipedia:
Pedro is an amateur Jai Lai player and has recently applied for Pakistani citizenship so he may compete in the annual National Jai Lai Championships (NJLC).Ya know, Wikipedia isn't always the best source, so take that with a grain of salt. Still, this is kinda cool if true. I have not been able to find any other sources confirming this.
Featured in this post is a 1996 Donruss Leaf Signature Series autographed card of Pedro Astacio from my collection.
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