Rising Astros Pitching Prospect Ethan Pecko Primed for MLB Breakout

After back-to-back strong seasons in the minor leagues, this right hander looks ready to leave his mark with the Houston Astros.

Apr 27, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros could use some pitching reinforcements in 2026. With front of the rotation arm Framber Valdez hitting free agency, the pitching staff as a whole has some question marks, and will need to step up if he’s not brought back. 

This can cause the Astros to either look elsewhere for arms or look from within the organization, where there are strong options. One of those potential options has set himself up over the last two seasons for a breakout into the Houston pitching staff.

Ethan Pecko, a 23-year-old right handed pitching prospect, has been one of the top arms in the Astros organization. The Towson product is now ranked the No. 12 prospect in the Houston system by MLB Pipeline, after posting a career 3.86 ERA in his first three professional seasons. The potential is backed up by data collected by Prospect Savant.

Ethan Pecko Could Have Astros Breakthrough

Ethan Pecko will transition into MLB so smoothly next year.

Pecko probably won’t win an award but he’ll be VERY solid.

No bad shapes and some can be plus, sharp command as well. pic.twitter.com/CaPbe8SRM7

— Nate Roper (@NateRoper_) October 14, 2025

In his last two seasons however is where Pecko has really started to turn heads. After a 15 inning stint in 2023 that saw him post a 6.60 ERA in six games, he went on to pitch 96.0 innings in 2024, to a 3.47 ERA, and 125 strikeouts to 37 walks between three levels.

Pecko made the climb all the way up to Double-A Corpus Christi in 2024, where in seven games he owned a 2.36 ERA in 26.2 innings pitched. He threw an additional 43 innings in Double-A in 2025, where he struck out 45 to his 15 walks.

This was good enough to earn him a call up to Triple-A, where he spent the remainder of his 2025 season. It turned out to be in ways more productive than his previous breakout season in 2024.

In Triple-A, Pecko made seven starts and appeared in eight games, recording a 3.09 ERA with 48 strikeouts to 12 walks. He held his own after the promotion, ranking in the 86th percentile among all Triple-A pitchers in K% according to Prospect Savant.

Pecko maintained the high level strikeout production in 2025, with 10.69 strikeouts per nine innings. That number was slightly lower than his 2024 K/9, but he showed improvements with his control dropping his walk percentage by one percent in 2025 with an 8.2% BB%.

If Pecko continues this trend of year-to-year improvement, he’ll even further set himself up for success at the Major League level. Spring Training 2026 will undoubtedly be a big opportunity for the former sixth round pick, as he looks closer to his Astros debut.