Under-the-radar bright spot in an otherwise lost 2025 season for Astros

Despite a disappointing ending to the 2025 season, the Houston Astros did have their fair share of bright spots. Hunter Brown finally harnessed his filthy stuff to become one of the most dominant aces in the game. Jeremy Peña had an offensive breakthrough and became a star. But flying under the radar was another major bright spot for the Astros.

Capitalizing on his impressive half-season performance upon his debut in 2024, reliever Bryan King quietly emerged as one of the better late-inning weapons in the league. Entering 2025, King's spot on the opening day roster was a near-guarantee, not because of any faith Houston had in the 28-year-old, but rather simply because he throws left-handed.

Bryan King was the Astros' most under-the-radar bright spot in a frustrating 2025 season

King finished his campaign with 68 appearances and 68 innings pitched. The southpaw posted a 2.78 ERA and 3.68 FIP while striking out 25.1% of the batters he faced, while only surrendering walks 4.1% of the time.

Thrown into the high-leverage fire following Josh Hader's injury, King did his best work in the highest pressure situations, allowing just a .192 batting average and .186 wOBA, his best performance across all situations this past year.

Not long ago, King, being a major leaguer, let alone a fearsome relief ace, didn't seem to be in the cards. Drafted in the 30th round in 2019, a round that no longer exists, by the Chicago Cubs as the 912th player taken, King was prepared to go work on an Alaskan fishing boat before his baseball journey began.

Never regarded as a top prospect, King made his way to the Astros in 2022 as part of the minor league portion of the Rule V draft. He wouldn't pitch in the Houston system until 2024. He began the year at Triple-A Sugar Land, making 34 appearances and logging 36.2 innings while posting a 2.21 ERA.

That performance earned him a midseason call up and he'd pitch the rest of the way with the big league club, tossing 26.1 innings with a 2.39 ERA. As he'd prove in 2025, those numbers were no fluke.

King gets the job done, first and foremost, by not allowing free passes. His walk rate ranked in the 99th percentile this season. He's also excellent at avoiding hard contact, with a hard hit rate in the 83rd percentile, a barrel rate in the 86th percentile, and an average exit velocity in the 73rd percentile. Due to these factors, his expected batting average against of .229 ranked in the 74th percentile. Still, King isn't a one-trick pony, with his 25.1% strikeout rate ranking well-above average.

With a variety of ways to get hitters out and an ability to level up his performance when the pressure gets turned on, King has established himself as a top-tier setup man seemingly out of nowhere. While Brown and Peña got all the headlines, King's breakout may have been even more impressive.