Former Astros pitcher's heartwarming comeback story sets up amazing 2025 storyline

Baseball is a game of ups and downs. In no other sport can you experience success 30% of the time and be considered elite at what you do. That's the beauty of the sport of baseball.

Unfortunately for some, even when that success is present, it isn't always the lack of production that leads to them stepping away from the game. Baseball is one of the most mentally strenuous sports and has the longest season of any of the other major sports, resulting in a lot of pressure on a person and their families.

This was the case for former top prospect and Texas native, Tyler Ivey, who spent his entire professional career (six seasons) with Houston before taking a step back from the game he had dedicated his life to.

A Texas A&M product, Ivey was drafted in the third round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Astros and after a tough 2017 season, he really started to put things together. His 2018 season saw him make it to High-A, throwing 112 innings with a 2.97 ERA. 2019 was more of the same (52 innings with a 1.38 ERA) before an undisclosed injury ended his season prematurely. Ivey made his major league debut in 2021, throwing 4.2 innings but unfortunately, 2021 wasn't kind to Ivey. The undisclosed injury from 2019 crept back up (grade one UCL sprain) and ended his 2021 season after just 17.2 innings. This is where he started to feel the passion of the sport dissipate.

""One thing you can’t fake is passion,” Ivey said last month. “And I just don’t think I had the drive and the passion at that point to give my all or give my best to be at the top of the game and compete at that level. Even if I wanted to have it, it just wasn’t there at the time. I just wanted to go have a simple life, spend time with my friends and see how God's plan worked out for me.""

Chandler Rome, The Athletic

Former Houston Astros pitcher and top prospect, Tyler Ivey, looking to make a comeback

Ivey would throw just 13 innings in 2022 before officially hanging up his cleats. However, coaching a high school summer ball team reinvigorated his passion, with Ivey stating, "It allowed me to see baseball from, I guess, a different light, a different point of view, which started to make me fall in love with it again."

This love has lit a fire within Ivey to attempt a return to the big leagues. The Astros, Ivey's favorite team growing up, still retain his contractual rights. Houston could release Ivey, allowing him to pursue a career with whoever shows interest in him or opt to invite him to spring training, to finish what he started just 4 years ago.

The A&M product has taken a different approach to his pitching. Ivey used to have a violent motion, but this time around, he is focusing more on his mechanics and staying smooth, in an effort to stay healthy. In Chandler Rome's article detailing his comeback on The Athletic, Ivey stated, "After throwing bullpens and throwing with 100 percent intensity, my elbow doesn't even get sore, let alone hurt, which is pretty remarkable."

Ivey's story is one that fans should keep tabs on, especially being a former Astros pitcher and Texas native. Hopefully Houston gives the 28-year-old a chance in spring training, but no matter who Ivey gets his chance with, it is a great story to follow.