Astros Nurturing Potential Star Reliever Poised for Breakout Campaign

The Houston Astros don’t know what they have yet in this prospect, but he could be a future reliever at the Major League level.

Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros, hosts a fireworks show. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

It’s not that often that a team selects a pitcher with a reliever-only profile coming out of college.

Many times, college starters become relievers based on their make-up and performance. Most colleges also need their pitchers to be able to flex between the starting rotation and the bullpen. Most schools don't have the depth to allow a pitcher to work entirely as a reliever.

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But that’s what Wichita State did with Nick Potter in 2025, and he was good enough to get the Houston Astros to select him in the fifth round of last year’s draft. The Astros signed him for $336,600 but he hasn’t thrown a professional pitch yet.

Yet, Baseball America (subscription required) selected him as one of three breakout prospects in the organization for 2026.

Astros Prospect Nick Potter

He didn’t start his collegiate career with the Shockers. He pitched two seasons at Crowder College in Missouri. He played for a team that made the NJCAA World Series. But he didn’t have much to do there. In two seasons, he threw in 10 games, including 8.2 innings, 10 strikeouts, 11 walks and 12 hits allowed.

Wichita State unlocked something in the right-hander. In 23 appearances he had a 3.34 ERA with 33 strikeouts to 17 walks in 29.2 innings. It was enough use and he showed enough arm talent to get Houston interested in taking him on the second day of the draft. But like many collegiate prospects these days, the Astros opted to keep him out of organized games and had him work in the instructional league and bridge leagues last year.

The reason he profiles as a reliever in the Majors is his pitch mix and velocity. He only has two pitches, a four-seam fastball and slider. As Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes wrote, his velocity is going to keep him on Houston’s radar for some time.

“His fastball sits 95-97 mph and touches 100 with plus ride and heavy cut,” Pontes wrote. “Potter’s slider sits 83-85 mph with baby sweeper shape, getting around seven inches of sweep and around an inch of drop.”

That’s why his fastball grades at 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale. But his control leaves much to be desired, as it grades out at 40 and he’ll have to work on that in the minor leagues.

Houston has him assigned to the Florida Complex League right now. Depending on how he performs at minor league spring training, he could earn himself a shot at Class-A Fayetteville to start the campaign. That would give him a chance to prove a breakout is possible at a full-season affiliate.