The Houston Astros have built a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent, and right-hander Hudson Leach may be the latest example. After signing with the Astros as an undrafted free agent in 2023, Leach has steadily worked his way through the minor leagues while continuing to expand his pitch mix and refine his approach.
Leach recently appeared on the Astros Future Podcast to discuss his development, his experience in the Arizona Fall League, and what he’s learned while pitching alongside major league relievers during spring training.
Baseball wasn’t easy for Leach early on. In high school he had two elbow surgeries and then in college he had another surgery to the same elbow to remove screws.
“It was kind of scary honestly in high school because I didn’t have a lot of offers, I had a few and I wasn’t sure if those offers would hold up getting the surgery and not knowing how it would be after that,” Leach said. “Honestly, I’m glad it happened it gave me something to fight for and really make sure I was fully invested before I started my baseball career.
After battling through early injuries, Leach eventually found his footing at the college level, beginning his career at Creighton before transferring to Miami (OH) in search of a bigger opportunity.
“Going into college I was catching and pitching… I had some elbow surgeries and it kind of caused me to just focus on pitching,” Leach said. “Went to Creighton.. had some command issues the first two years there, still battled some injury stuff, some nagging stuff from injuries. I ended up transferring to Miami just looking for more opportunity to play and more opportunity to pitch. When I got there I had a really good coach in Jeff Opalewski at Miami and he helped me a lot of stuff and I got healthy.”
Leach would end up pitching in 31.1 innings for Miami (OH) while striking out 50 batters, though his ERA was a little high at 5.46. He would end up going undrafted following the 2023 draft.
“A little bit. My junior year I had some forearm issues and missed some time. Before that I might have had a chance to get picked later in the draft, but the injury uncertainty pushed me into the undrafted free agent route. I was watching the draft like most players in my situation. The Astros called right after it ended and we got a deal done quickly. I was really happy with it.”
The silver lining of going undrafted is being able to have choices of where you want to play, though Leach wasted no time signing with the Astros.
“The Astros were the first team to call. A couple other teams reached out shortly after, but the Astros’ pitching development reputation made it an easy decision.”
Leach has now spent two full seasons in the Astros system and made it up to Triple-A. Quite the climb for a pitcher who was undrafted just two years ago. He’s had some success, striking out 112 batters over 77.2 minor league innings but has recently added a new pitch.
“Over the last year I’ve been throwing a four-seam fastball, slider, and curveball. This offseason I added a sinker. I wasn’t getting many ground balls before, and as a reliever that’s a valuable tool. So I worked on a two-seam sinker this winter. It helps me get early contact and hopefully some weak ground balls.”
After a strong 2025 season and an impressive Arizona Fall League showing (13 strikeouts in 6.2 innings), the Astros extended him a non-roster invite to big league camp, marking a key step forward in his progression.
“I was really excited. My first year in pro ball I was just hoping to get out of Low-A eventually. Getting the invite was cool, but after about 20 minutes I shifted my mindset to performing. I treated every day like it might be my last day in camp. That helped me stay focused.”
Leach is now touching 99 MPH with the fastball, and pounding the zone with strikes, which helped him toss 3 scoreless innings in Spring Training. For an undrafted arm just two years removed from uncertainty, Leach’s rise has been rapid, and if his current trajectory holds, he may not be far from becoming the next homegrown arm to impact Houston’s bullpen.
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