In the 2023 MLB Draft, the Astros swung for upside with their second-round selection, taking right-hander Alonzo Tredwell out of UCLA. The 6-foot-8 pitcher made nine starts as a junior, posting a 3.57 ERA. Solid numbers, but Houston clearly believed there was more untapped potential in the frame and arsenal.
Tredwell didn’t make his professional debut until 2024, and the transition proved challenging. He posted a 5.37 ERA with 67 strikeouts over 57 innings, though he also issued 38 walks. The strikeouts (10.6 K/9) showed the raw stuff played, but the 6.0 BB/9 underscored the command inconsistency that often follows pitchers of his size and mechanical complexity. For Tredwell, the biggest lesson wasn’t about stuff, it was about durability and routine.
“I feel like the biggest thing I learned was just the importance of staying on the field and just being able to pitch a full-season,” Tredwell said. “I know my capability when I’m out there pitching so the biggest thing is just each year I hope to throw more innings each level I go up. It’s just about learning as the season goes along what I need to do to keep my body in tip top shape to be able to throw 180 innings, 200 innings pretty soon here.”
Things changed for him in 2025. Tredwell started the season in Fayetteville and posted a 3.94 ERA with 52 strikeouts over 48 innings. He was then promoted to Asheville, where his numbers improved, posting a 3.68 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. He would earn another promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi, where he was dominant, striking out 40 batters in 22.2 innings with a 3.18 ERA. Overall, he finished with a 3.69 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 100 innings, reestablishing himself as one of the more intriguing arms in the Astros’ system.
That self-awareness became a turning point in 2025.
“I think the biggest thing that worked for me last year was just knowing myself, starting to understand what makes me a really good pitcher and just going out there every week and dominating that,” Tredwell said.
The improvement in performance wasn’t just him knowing himself. It was a combination of health, confidence and the coaching he received at every level.
“I think I have to give credit to my pitching coaches at each level,” Tredwell said. “Each level I went up I had a new pitching coach and it was just about knowing myself and knowing my strengths, knowing my weaknesses.
“The thing that helped me be successful and strike so many dudes out was just understanding what works for me, my usages and which pitches to throw in certain counts.”
That adjustment showed up in his pitch usage and strikeout totals as he climbed each level.
“As I went up there was more sitting down and going over hitters and more attack plan meetings and understanding who the hitters I was going to be facing were and what their weaknesses were and how I could use my strengths against them,” Tredwell added.
At 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, Tredwell presents a different look than most starters in the system. His size creates advantages few pitchers can replicate.
“The biggest thing is just being able to get down the mound and use my size to my advantage,” Tredwell said. “Extension has always been something that puts me above and beyond pitching just being able to release the ball closer to the plate than most people do because of my size. So understanding that I could use that as a strength and I could use the fastball in leverage counts because of the good extension that it has.”
Tredwell put together an incredible 2025 season and recaptured some of that shine that got him to be a second round pick. Going into 2026, there were a few things he wanted to continue to work on.
“Just trying to move my body as quick as I can,” Tredwell said. “The main thing for me is I’m a big dude, it takes a lot for me to get down the hill quick. Obviously velocity is something we’re always chasing.”
If the improved body control translates into more consistent velocity and command, Alonzo Tredwell’s extension and strikeout ability give him real rotation upside. After a developmental 2024 and a breakout 2025, 2026 may determine whether he’s simply an intriguing arm or a legitimate future piece in Houston.
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