Story by
The Joplin Globe, Mo.
VanWey talks first win, options and being an MSSU pro
- Story byThe Joplin Globe, Mo.
- VanWey talks first win, options and being an MSSU pro
Logan VanWey said that after his first MLB win Tuesday with the Houston Astros he got a video from his mother that showed his dad celebrating.
"My dad was running around the basement after the last out," VanWey said.
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VanWey had mentioned during a postgame interview that the game ball would probably go to his dad. He noted that they have a collection of souvenirs from his baseball career that this ball would join in their Webb City home.
He compared the 9-7 extra-inning win over the Toronto Blue Jays to his MLB debut last season.
"It's honestly probably a little more exciting than my debut was," he said.
On Wednesday morning, VanWey was on a flight back to Houston as the Astros had optioned him back to Triple-A Sugar Land to join the Space Cowboys and called up another relief pitcher in his place in Colton Gordon .
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Gordon is a left-handed pitcher, unlike VanWey, a right-hander. Gordon is another up-and-coming pitcher in the organization like the Webb City native. Both are 27 years old.
VanWey has used up his second year of options. He's also used three options already this season by being optioned down to the minor leagues three separate times this year. He noted that there is a limit of five options per season. With about three months left of the MLB regular season, he can only be called up and sent back down two more times in 2026.
The up-and-down journey of his early career doesn't change anything about his confidence.
"It's not a blow. It's part of it," VanWey said. "It takes a lot of confidence to be a guy with options."
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VanWey was actually designated for assignment by the Astros back in January. But after he went through waivers, the team brought him back for spring training and he was once again added back to the 40-man roster by the start of the season.
MLB rules
An MLB team is allowed a 26-man roster for competition but can have players on pro contracts that are assigned to minor league teams and on their 40-man roster. That's where VanWey falls. He's currently on a one-year deal worth $780,000.
He has one year of options left that can last him through his first five years of MLB service. He's currently in Year 2 of service. So if he were to break into the opening day roster in 2027 and stay in the pros all season, he wouldn't have to use that final option year and could still hang on to it through 2029.
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That's the hope and plan.
"Hopefully, the rest of this year I can perform well enough and then do well in spring and make the opening day roster to start the year and then not use that option year," VanWey said.
He mentioned being injured with a flexor strain in 2025 and missing some time, and when he came back he was not feeling like himself. This year, his velocity has climbed a few ticks, he says, and he feels healthy again.
"I'm going back to '24 in terms of my health and always being available when needed," VanWey added.
That season in 2024 is what he calls his "breakout" year. He and the Space Cowboys won the championship in Triple-A and he had a strong campaign individually.
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He posted an earned run average of 3.22 and a WHIP of 1.36 that season across 72 2/3 innings. He recorded four saves and a record of 9-1.
The former standout at Missouri Southern State University has also made his mark at the pro level just in a small sample size.
"I feel like I've always pitched well and challenged hitters," VanWey said.
He's allowed runs in just five games out of 14 total appearances but in only three games were the runs earned. He's allowed one run in four of those five games. The only game an opponent scored more than one run against the quirky delivery of VanWey was on May 10 last season against the Cincinnati Reds .
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In that game, VanWey allowed five runs in two innings of work after entering in the first inning to replace Lance McCullers Jr. , who had blown up in the first inning allowing five runs and only recording one out.
"That Cincinnati game still gives me nightmares. I had to come in during the first inning, and as a reliever, you aren't expecting to do that," VanWey said with a laugh.
Dog days of summer
The MLB is nearing the second half of the season as the All-Star break is right around the corner. The final day of games before the break is Sunday, July 12. VanWey knows he has a good chance to come back up in the dog days of the summer as bullpens start to have a lot of rotation.
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"It gives you some value as a relief pitcher. It gives you options with a team late in the year if the bullpen is taxed. The negative side of it is being eligible for replacement as well," he said.
When asked about potentially being designated for assignment again if he runs out of option years in 2027, he said he believes he could be picked up by another MLB team and as long as he's still playing baseball, that's all that matters to him.
But he still wants a "long career in Houston" as that has been his "dream since signing with them."
MSSU pros
VanWey and his former teammate at MSSU, Henry Kusiak, are both making the most of their opportunities at the pro level. Kusiak just finished a stint as a replacement for injured players with the Minnesota Twins ' Triple-A team, the St. Paul Saints. Kusiak has now played 11 games in the Triple-A this season as a replacement option for injuries.
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He started out in Single-A with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. But after his success in Triple-A, he's now with the Twins' High-A ballclub, the Cedar Rapids Kernels.
"I think it's really cool," VanWey said of the representation of the green and gold in pro baseball. "My pitching coach, Steve Luebber, was one of the only MSSU guys to play professionally for the longest time. It's cool to be in company with him. … When I was in college, Logan Moon and Max Hogan came back and took BP (batting practice) off of us. I thought that was cool. Now I get to come back and work with people in the area."
