Over the years, I’ve continued to beat the drum that talent can be found anywhere. Look no further than the Astros’ 2024 draft class, where the first player to reach the big leagues wasn’t even drafted. Instead, it was undrafted free agent Lucas Spence.
Following the 2025 MLB Draft, the Astros signed eight players as undrafted free agents, and one of those signings is starting to stand out on the mound, right-hander Charlie Weber.
Weber attended Wofford as a freshman before transferring to St. Louis to continue his baseball career. He was a starter as a freshman and sophomore, but going into his junior year, he made the move to the bullpen.
“I was a starter my freshman and sophomore season and struggled my sophomore year,” Weber said. “I was walking more people and getting hit harder. The change gave me an opportunity to help our team win in later innings and give me a different look in terms of coming into the game in the 6th.”
After posting a 5.72 ERA as a sophomore starter, Weber lowered that mark to 2.89 as a junior reliever. He also saw a bump in strikeouts, going from 7.0 K/9 as a starter to 9.5 K/9 as a reliever. But Weber was ready to turn pro.
“Signing as an undrafted free agent was a no brainer for me,” Weber said. “It was much less about the money and more about getting the opportunity to get here.”
Since making his professional debut in 2026, Weber has shown why the Astros were intrigued and wanted to bring him into the organization. Through 19 outings, including seven starts, Weber has posted a 3.29 ERA while striking out 69 batters over 63 innings and holding opponents to just a .195 batting average.
After watching his outings, one thing stood out. Weber will change his arm angle from his normal throwing motion to almost a submarine-style delivery at any given time.
“I started to change arm slot the summer going into my junior year,” Weber said. “This was due to me being a horrible pitcher my sophomore year. I knew my pitch ability was my biggest strength, so I started to explore it and realize it was a real option.
“Long story short, I was getting shelled and spraying it, so I made a last ditch effort to try to stay in a key role and helping my team win… safe to say it worked out.”
Charlie Weber struck out 5 over 4 scoreless innings for the Woodpeckers. He has a 3.14 ERA this season. #Astros pic.twitter.com/Fg7qkjzqqy
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) July 26, 2026
This isn’t something he breaks out often, but when he does, it can really catch hitters off guard.
“If you talk to any hitter, they will tell you that it is tough enough to try and hit four different pitches from one arm slot. If you can execute from two arm slots, it makes it extremely difficult,” Weber said. “I have yet to allow a hit on a sub pitch and there have only been two balls in play off of it.
“My submarine slot is more to throw hitters off,” Weber said. “I have generated whiffs with it but it’s mostly an auto take. The goal is to steal a strike and get in the hitters head that I can throw from different arm slots.”
Just two years removed from posting a 5.72 ERA and allowing 63 hits in 56.2 innings in college, Weber is experiencing some of the best success he’s had as a pitcher. His turnaround shows how much hard work and a few adjustments can change the trajectory for a pitcher.
“The thing that has been working so well for me as of late has been my execution,” Weber said. “I am mixing much better now than I have all season.
“In spring training, I developed a cutter and changeup. I started to gain confidence in those pitches and started to throw them to RHH and LHH, which has helped me separate from being a two pitch guy into a four pitch guy.”
Weber has been really good this year, but he’s been even better against right-handed batters. Righties are hitting just .151 against him with zero home runs, while Weber has posted a 32% strikeout rate against them.
Weber is still early in his professional career, but teams are always looking for relievers who can miss bats and give hitters different looks. With his arsenal, pitchability and ability to throw hitters off by changing his arm angle, Weber has turned himself into a legitimate prospect to watch.
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