Houston Astros Could Have Another Emerging Star on Mound With Elite Pitch

One of the strengths of the Houston Astros during the 2024 season was their starting rotation.

Despite injuries to Justin Verlander, Lance McCullers and Jose Urquidy, the team did not miss a beat. Several players were able to step up and fill the void.

Framber Valdez has cemented his status as the team’s ace. Ronel Blanco started the season in place of Verlander with 15 shutout innings, including a no-hitter in his first appearance of the year.

Hunter Brown made major strides this season and Spencer Arrighetti was solid as a rookie. Yusei Kikuchi, acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays after a tough first half, was lights out down the stretch for Houston.

This is certainly a strength of the team, but as we have learned, you can never have too much starting pitching. Luckily for the Astros, their pipeline still has plenty left to offer.

One of those players to keep an eye on is right-hander, Jose Fleury.

Signed for $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic, he was the last player that Houston signed to their 2021 international class. He hit the ground running, dominating the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League where he had a 1.42 ERA, striking out 60 batters compared to only four walks in 38 innings.

Fleury proved it was no fluke, as he had a 12.7 K/9 and opponent batting average of .181. Both statistics would have led the Single-A Carolina League had he pitched enough to qualify.

This season, the organization decided to move him to Double-A, skipping one level. A thigh injury kept him sidelined for about two months, but he didn’t look overmatched.

At 22 years old, he had a 3.82 ERA across 68.1 innings with 74 strikeouts, 26 walks and a .216 batting average against. Looking to make up for the time he lost to injury, Fleury is pitching for the Surprise Saguaros, the two-time Arizona Fall League defending champions.

What has led to such a rapid rise throughout the farm system? His elite change up that his other pitches play off of.

"In the beginning, that was my worst pitch," Fleury said via AFL translator Analis Castro, via Jim Callis of MLB.com. "I remember one time in a game, I threw the changeup and they hit a home run off of me and I said, 'Well, I'm not going to throw it any more.' But my uncle helped me with it, and I gained confidence in it. At first, I didn't believe in it, but it's my best pitch today."

Fleury doesn’t have an intimidating size, measuring at 6-feet tall and weighing 185 pounds. But his mechanics are sound and he has the kind of athleticism teams look for in a pitcher to consistently throw strikes.

He credits the team for helping him continue his steady development.

"The Astros have helped me tremendously with my pitching," Fleury said. "When I came to America, only my changeup was good. They helped me with it and taught me to execute everything else."

Right now, he is the No. 10 prospect in the team’s prospect pipeline. There are three pitchers ahead of them, but they all profile more as relievers.