Back in November 2013, the Astros signed a right-handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic. Nearly twelve years later, that same pitcher has emerged as one of the most dominant relievers in baseball.
Bryan Abreu began his professional career in the Dominican Summer League before moving stateside to rookie ball. He broke out in 2018 with a 1.49 ERA and 90 strikeouts over 54.1 innings, working as a starter and in the piggyback system. In 2019, his performance in Double-A earned him a direct call-up to the Astros, where the 22-year-old struck out 13 over 8.2 relief innings. After a brief 3.1 inning 2020 season, Abreu received a more extended look in 2021, posting a 5.75 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 36 innings out of the bullpen.
The 2022 season marked a turning point for Abreu, as he emerged as a dominant force in the Astros’ bullpen. He finished the year with a 1.94 ERA and 88 strikeouts across 60.1 innings, establishing himself as a high-leverage weapon. That dominance carried into October, where he delivered one of the most impressive postseason runs by a reliever in recent memory.
2022 Post-Season Run: 10 G, 0.00 ERA, 11.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 19 K
This run, along with the rest of the dominant bullpen, carried the Astros to the 2022 World Series Championship.
Abreu was dominant in 2023 as well posting a 1.75 ERA in 72 innings, but his numbers slid a bit in 2024 as he had a 3.10 ERA over 78.1 innings.
In 2025, Abreu has elevated his game to an entirely new level.
This season, Abreu has been nearly untouchable, posting a 1.47 ERA with 93 strikeouts over 61.1 innings while allowing only 35 hits. His dominance has only intensified down the stretch posting a 0.89 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 30.1 innings over his last 30 outings. Recently elevated into the closer role, he’s answered the challenge with 9 scoreless innings, striking out 15 against just 1 walk.
In 2025, Abreu has established himself as the most dominant non-closer in baseball. He leads all relievers with 93 strikeouts and owns the lowest ERA among non-closers, trailing only Aroldis Chapman overall. Opponents have managed just a .161 batting average against him, underscoring how difficult he’s been to square up.
The biggest leap for Abreu in 2025 has come with his four-seam fastball. His average velocity has ticked up to 97.3 mph from 96.7 mph in 2024, and the results have been dramatic. Opponents are hitting just .147 against the pitch this season, a massive improvement from the .256 mark they managed last year. Across 496 fastballs thrown, he has allowed only five extra-base hits, turning what was once a hittable pitch into a dominant weapon.
That’s not to say his slider isn’t deadly as well, hitters are held to just a .174 average against it, with only five extra-base hits allowed over 487 pitches thrown. The two pitch combination of the fastball-slider is one of the best in baseball.
As dominant as Abreu has been this season, his true greatness comes into focus when measured against his peers over the past four years.
Since the start of 2022, Abreu has been statistically among the most dominant relievers in the game. His 384 strikeouts not only lead all relievers, but they’ve come in just 272 innings, a workload that also ranks second among bullpen arms in that span. He pairs volume with efficiency, sitting third in strikeout rate (34.7%), ERA (2.12), and K/9 (12.7), while his 24.4% K-BB% trails only one other reliever. Few pitchers combine that level of durability and dominance.
The Astros have the most dominant non-closer in baseball, right-hander Bryan Abreu.
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