New Astro Ken Giles arrived in camp today ready to go #AstrosST pic.twitter.com/l96DctFvgq
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 18, 2016
Kissimmee, Fla. – Former Philadelphia Phillies closer Ken Giles spoke to the media for the first time of the new season Thursday at the Houston Astros' spring training facility.
"I'm hoping to start ramping it up pretty soon," Giles said. "I didn't spend all offseason just to take it easy. I think I'm ready to get going, start to get in the fast lane, ready to go."
Giles, 25, was dealt to Houston on Dec. 12, along with minor-league infielder Jonathan Arauz, in exchange for Brett Oberholtzer, Vincent Velasquez and minor-leaguers Mark Appel, Harold Arauz and Thomas Eshelman.
"It's pretty exciting coming into the season. They're ready to go," Giles said of his new Astros teammates. "They just want to go out there and compete and they want to prove to everybody that they can take that next step."
Giles, who will not be arbitration eligible until after the 2017 season, is the all-time leader in career ERA, minimum 100 innings pitched, according to FanGraphs.com.
In 113 games and 115 2/3 innings thus far over his two-year career, Giles has allowed just 36 walks and struck out 151 batters. Upon the July 28 trade of Jonathan Papelbon to the Washington Nationals, the Albuquerque, New Mexico, native successfully saved 15 out of 17 opportunities to finish the season.
