Former Astros Top Prospect Claimed Off Waivers by Orioles As He Begins New Chapter

The Houston Astros no longer have one of their former top prospects in their organization.

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This offseason was expected to be an interesting one for the Houston Astros, and thus far, that has been the case.

Not only was there sweeping changes brought to the coaching staff and other areas of the organization, but general manager Dana Brown made some roster moves that saw household names like Chas McCormick and Luis Garcia get placed on outright waivers.

That was a tough way to see the tenures of McCormick and Garcia end. They were key parts of the Astros in 2022 when the franchise won their second-ever World Series championship. But after injuries and poor performance slowed down their production, Houston felt it was best to move on.

Amidst all of the roster moves, it was also revealed that former top prospect Pedro Leon was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/d3EbsBoxEo

— Houston Astros (@astros) November 7, 2025

Leon was once seen as the future for the Astros. Signed in 2020 as an international free agent, he immediately shot up to No. 2 in Houston's pipeline rankings the following year. While Leon never was someone who hit for average, he showed some serious pop when he was climbing the farm system.

With Triple-A Sugar Land in 2022, he bashed 17 longballs. That was followed up by 21 home runs the following season and 24 blasts the year after that. Because of his ability to swing the bat, it was always strange to never see him get extended opportunities at the big league level.

Even though he missed spring training in 2023 after he underwent sports hernia surgery, it seemed like he had proven all he could on the farm. However, he only got into seven MLB games during the 2024 campaign, which is all the major league experience he has.

Can Pedro Leon Finally Crack a Big League Roster?

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This will be an important upcoming year for Leon. Similar to the Astros, the Orioles also have a pretty crowded outfield unit, so playing time or even an MLB roster spot is not guaranteed despite the fact they claimed him off waivers.

He'll have to show well during the spring and prove why he should be kept around in Baltimore. There was clearly a reason why Houston didn't feel like he was ready to help them out in The Show despite what he was doing on the farm. So this will be a big test for Leon during his new chapter.

Whether or not he can earn himself a roster spot with the Orioles should be something Astros fans keep their eye on, because if he finally pops after he was given a real opportunity elsewhere, then that would be a frustrating turn of events.