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. He got a call-up in 2025 making his big league debut. With the roster crunch, he was optioned to Triple-A but continued his strong performance. Blubaugh has a mid 90s fastball and a good changeup and sweeper.
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
Stats (via BRef):
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP | SO/W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 19 | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Horz | NCAA | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3.000 | 1.33 | ||
| 2021 | 20 | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Horz | NCAA | 2 | 1 | 2.63 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.1 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 37 | 1.171 | 2.64 | |
| 2022 | 21 | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Horz | NCAA | 3 | 3 | 3.25 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 52.2 | 40 | 20 | 19 | 4 | 16 | 51 | 1.063 | 3.19 | |
| 2022 | 21 | Orleans | CCBL | Smr | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.214 | ||
| 2022 | 21 | Fayetteville | CARL | A | HOU | 2 | 1 | 4.85 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 1.077 | 6.67 |
| 2022 | 21 | Astros Blue | FCL | Rk | HOU | 0 | 0 | 3.18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1.059 | 1.33 |
| 2023 | 22 | Corpus Christi | TL | AA | HOU | 0 | 0 | 1.26 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 0.837 | 2.38 |
| 2023 | 22 | Asheville | SALL | A+ | HOU | 6 | 3 | 4.94 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 85.2 | 85 | 50 | 47 | 10 | 37 | 93 | 1.424 | 2.51 |
| 2023 | 22 | Mesa | AZFL | Fal | 0 | 0 | 2.25 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 1.250 | 4.25 | |
| 2024 | 23 | Sugar Land | PCL | AAA | HOU | 12 | 4 | 3.83 | 27 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 124.2 | 117 | 58 | 53 | 14 | 51 | 128 | 1.348 | 2.51 |
| 2024 | 23 | Corpus Christi | TL | AA | HOU | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.500 | |
| 2025 | 24 | Sugar Land | PCL | AAA | HOU | 5 | 8 | 5.27 | 22 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 99.0 | 97 | 64 | 58 | 10 | 58 | 101 | 1.566 | 1.74 |
| 2025 | 24 | HOU | AL | Maj | HOU | 2 | 1 | 4.15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 1.077 | 5.00 |
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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