The Astros don't have many fireballers; this prospect could change that

HOUSTON – If you’ve watched any of this year’s playoffs, you probably noticed the steady stream of relief pitchers coming out of the bullpen who are throwing gas. Relievers have been lighting up radar guns all October, which is something the Astros didn’t have a ton of this year beyond Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader.

In fact, Astros relievers averaged 94.2 mph on four-seamers and sinkers last season, which ranked 24th among the 30 teams. Abreu touched 100 mph on one pitch this season, which was the only time any Astros pitcher – starter or reliever – hit 100 mph. That’s tied for the fewest times in the Majors.

The Astros do have some hard-throwing relievers in the Minor Leagues, including right-handers Alimber Santa and Hudson Leach, both of whom can touch the upper 90s. And both are showing their stuff in the Arizona Fall League with an eye on bringing some juice to Houston’s bullpen in the future.

“It’s been a great experience so far just to keep pitching because I love going to the field every day and having so many guys in different organizations I can learn from or ask questions,” Leach said. “It’s all valuable information and seeing other guys throw that I haven’t seen before, I’ll get to ask them questions. It’s been a good group. Good culture.”

Leach, a 2023 non-drafted free agent from Miami (Ohio), posted a 5.54 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 39 innings at four levels this year, beginning in High-A Asheville and peaking in Triple-A Sugar Land. He has had three elbow surgeries but can run his fastball up to 99 mph and flash a plus slider in the upper 80s.

The 23-year-old added nearly 4 mph to his fastball last offseason, which set him up to zip through the Houston system and reach Sugar Land. He spent the bulk of his season at Asheville and Double-A Corpus Christi, before finishing with nine games at Triple-A, where he allowed eight runs and struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings. Three of his outings were scoreless.

“Being in Triple-A just for that short amount of time, being around guys that were in a big league bullpen, you learn so much,” he said. “I was kind of on eggshells a little bit, but after a day or two, I got used to the guys and they kind of accepted me into the bullpen and I got to hear some cool stories about being in the big leagues.”

Leach had two elbow surgeries in high school, including getting two screws inserted into his elbow. He pitched for two years at Creighton University and had a third surgery before his junior year to remove one of the screws, which helped his range of motion. He transferred to Miami as a junior and had a jump in velocity, signing with the Astros after going undrafted.

“I knew it was a good organization based on how much they were winning in the big leagues, how many guys in the big leagues they had come through the Minors that they weren't just acquiring, and then everything I heard about the pitching side,” said Leach, who had worked with former Astros pitching coordinator Eric Niesen one winter in Kansas City.

Leach hit 95 mph as a senior in high school and sat 94-96 with his fastball in his first year at Creighton, hitting 97. He pitched through elbow soreness his second year and was sitting at 90-94 before getting the screw removed.

“After I got that screw removed from my elbow, velo kind of came back, my range of motion got better,” he said. “And then this last offseason was a big one for me, where I made a big jump.”

Leach probably won’t impact Houston’s bullpen until 2027, unless he takes a big step forward next season. Of course, the injuries the Astros had to their bullpen last season had them searching deep into their system for bullpen, so anything is possible.

“If I can get ahead, if I can limit walks and free passes, if the runs I give up are going to be at least on good pitches, I can live with that,” he said. “That’s going to be my big thing this offseason, just work on command and trying to make sure I have my stuff refined and just be ready to go and stay healthy throughout the year.”