Career relief journeyman found new life in a Houston Astros uniform

The Houston Astros’ pitching woes this season have been hard to ignore, but that’s not the case for everyone on the roster.

Veteran reliever Tayler Scott has found a career resurgence in Houston after struggling to find his footing for years.

After bouncing between six teams in his first three MLB seasons and a stint in Japan, Scott has become the Astros’ high-leverage reliever and appears to be the most reliable arm on the roster.

The South Africa native was a fifth-round selection out of high school by the Chicago Cubs in the 2011 MLB Draft and only debuted in 2019 with the Seattle Mariners. This stint didn’t last very long as he was DFA after only five games. He then went to the Baltimore Orioles.

After 13 games in 2019, he had a 14.33 ERA. Things weren’t working out in the major leagues, so instead of signing another contract in the minor leagues, he went to Japan.

He had the same success in NPB as in the minors. During two years there, he had a 4.02 ERA and a 1.256 WHIP.

The right-handed pitcher then signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres, but that led to another short and unsuccessful stint.

In 2023, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics. He did not play much in the majors, but had a successful season in Triple A. He had a career-best 1.64 ERA in 35 games.

Eventually, he signed a minor league contract with Houston and later made the opening day roster.

Entering the season, his ERA had reached 9.00 in 39 games played. While there may still have been some optimism that he could become the player that shined in the minor leagues, no one could have expected the success he experienced.

In 29 games, he has a 1.60 ERA and has become the guy Houston turns to in times of need.

Despite signing Josh Hader to a historic contract this offseason, Scott has been their best option out of the pen. Even the normally reliable Ryan Pressly, who began the season as a high-leverage player, slumped during this campaign.

The Astros bullpen, as a whole, has a 3.71 ERA and ranks 25th in WAR. Scott’s career year couldn’t have come at a better time.

A major change in the 32-year-old’s pitch mix has been a sharp increase in the use of his fastball and changeup, while decreasing the less effective sinker and slider. This may seem obvious, but throwing his best stuff has worked for him.

It’s not that hitters aren’t making a lot less contact this year, but the contact they’ve been making is a lot lower.

Hopefully this isn’t just a flash in the pan but rather the start of a new era in Scott’s career.