Houston Astros Prospect Profile: A.J. Blubaugh
A.J. Blubaugh – RHP
HT/WT: 6’2″/190 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | DOB: 07/04/00
Overview:
Blubaugh was a 7th round pick back in the 2022 draft out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Astros aggressively moved him up the ranks as they found another pitching diamond in the draft. In 2024, he had a big year 3.71 ERA with 133 K in 128.2 innings as he made his way to Triple-A. Blubaugh was up and down a bit in 2025 but when he got a chance with the Astros, he showed off posting a 1.69 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 32 innings. Blubaugh has a mid to high 90s fastball and a good changeup and sweeper. The 2025 season showed that Blubaugh belongs with the big league club and should get some good long looks this season.
Baseball America had the following to say about Blubaugh: “Blubaugh is a tall, lean righthander with a prototype starter’s build and a five-pitch mix he deploys without falling into predictable patterns. He throws exclusively from the stretch. His arm action is moderate in length, and he delivers from a high three-quarters release. Blubaugh mixes a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball, changeup and cutter.”
Articles:
A.J. Blubaugh Rides Quick Ascent in Astros System
Astros’ AJ Blubaugh Emerges As Key Young Pitching Talent In 2025
Stats (via BRef):
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WHIP | BB9 | SO9 | SO/W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 19 | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Horz | NCAA | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 3 | 0 | 4.0 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3.000 | 6.8 | 9.0 | 1.33 | ||
| 2021 | 20 | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Horz | NCAA | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2.63 | 19 | 0 | 27.1 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 37 | 1.171 | 4.6 | 12.2 | 2.64 | |
| 2022 | 21 | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Horz | NCAA | 3 | 3 | .500 | 3.25 | 16 | 7 | 52.2 | 40 | 20 | 19 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 51 | 1.063 | 2.7 | 8.7 | 3.19 | |
| 2022 | 21 | Orleans | CCBL | Smr | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 0 | 9.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.214 | 0.0 | 12.5 | |||
| 2022 | 21 | Fayetteville | CARL | A | HOU | 2 | 1 | .667 | 4.85 | 3 | 1 | 13.0 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 1.077 | 2.1 | 13.8 | 6.67 |
| 2022 | 21 | Astros Blue | FCL | Rk | HOU | 0 | 0 | 3.18 | 3 | 2 | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1.059 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 1.33 | |
| 2023 | 22 | Corpus Christi | TL | AA | HOU | 0 | 0 | 1.26 | 4 | 3 | 14.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 0.837 | 5.0 | 11.9 | 2.38 | |
| 2023 | 22 | Asheville | SALL | A+ | HOU | 6 | 3 | .667 | 4.94 | 22 | 9 | 85.2 | 85 | 50 | 47 | 10 | 37 | 0 | 93 | 1.424 | 3.9 | 9.8 | 2.51 |
| 2023 | 22 | Mesa | AZFL | Fal | 0 | 0 | 2.25 | 6 | 0 | 12.0 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 1.250 | 3.0 | 12.8 | 4.25 | ||
| 2024 | 23 | Sugar Land | PCL | AAA | HOU | 12 | 4 | .750 | 3.83 | 27 | 25 | 124.2 | 117 | 58 | 53 | 14 | 51 | 1 | 128 | 1.348 | 3.7 | 9.2 | 2.51 |
| 2024 | 23 | Corpus Christi | TL | AA | HOU | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.500 | 0.0 | 11.3 | ||
| 2025 | 24 | Sugar Land | PCL | AAA | HOU | 5 | 8 | .385 | 5.27 | 22 | 19 | 99.0 | 97 | 64 | 58 | 10 | 58 | 0 | 101 | 1.566 | 5.3 | 9.2 | 1.74 |
| 2025 | 24 | HOU | AL | Maj | HOU | 3 | 1 | .750 | 1.69 | 11 | 3 | 32.0 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 35 | 0.875 | 3.1 | 9.8 | 3.18 |
Notes/Transactions:
07/22/22 – Signed with Astros
08/06/22 – Assigned to FCL Astros (Rookie)
08/22/22 – Assigned to Fayetteville (Single-A)
04/03/23 – Assigned to Asheville (High-A)
08/26/23 – Assigned to Corpus Christi (Double-A)
04/10/24 – Assigned to Sugar Land (Triple-A)
04/30/25 – Called up by Houston
Highlights:
AJ Blubaugh dominated in Durham on Tuesday, punching out 9 and touching 97 MPH with his fastball.
His full line: 6.0 IP | 4 H | 0 R | 0 BB | 9 K pic.twitter.com/sHGLuyFHRJ
— Astros Player Development (@AstrosPlayerDev) April 2, 2025
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