Astros 9th-round pick Ryan Hartman: 'I get paid to play the game I love'

HOUSTON - Tennessee Wesleyan left-handed pitcher Ryan Hartman said “it’s crazy” to think he has reached a deal with the Astros on his first professional contract.

Hartman was taken by the Astros in the ninth round of the MLB First-Year Players Draft.

“It was surreal,” Hartman said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. “It still doesn’t feel real.

“I get paid to play the game I love.”

In 2016 Hartman was 10-1, with 0.64 ERA.

He had 129 strikeouts with just 12 walks in 98 innings this past season.