{"id":577569,"date":"2026-02-17T14:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/577569\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:18:16","slug":"former-mizzou-pitcher-bryce-mayer-readies-for-year-3-in-astros-org","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/577569\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Mizzou pitcher Bryce Mayer readies for Year 3 in Astros org"},"content":{"rendered":"

After each good outing, Bryce Mayer<\/a> got knocked around.<\/p>\n

He experienced the flowing peaks and valleys of playing for Missouri baseball in a lopsided SEC. In that lone campaign for the Tigers in 2024, his numbers showed that. The righty sported a 6.58 ERA, surrendering 11 home runs and yielding 33 free passes in his 53 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy numbers were not good,\u201d Mayer said. \u201cThat season really taught me a lot about myself, and that was the most I\u2019ve ever struggled on a baseball field. \u2026 You have to have confidence when you step on the mound.\u201d<\/p>\n

But as an MLB Draft prospect, Mayer boasted much more than those numbers. The Washington (Mo.) St. Francis Borgia<\/a> alum scrapped two pitches from his arsenal through that spring. Those reentered the equation in the summer as a few Major League organizations expressed interest in him as a Day 3 pick.<\/p>\n

One of those organizations \u2014 the Houston Astros \u2014 circled back on him.<\/p>\n

While starting his post-prep career at St. Charles Community College, Mayer received interest as a sophomore in 2022 from lower Midwest scout Freddy Perez. The two conducted a Zoom call, but Mayer went unselected and transferred to Missouri for his 2023 season.<\/p>\n

Mayer then lost that first year at the Power Four level. He underwent Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. Mayer returned for 2024, and again, Perez liked what he saw, with Houston selecting Mayer in the 16th round that July.<\/p>\n

In his cup of coffee at Single-A Fayetteville, Mayer spun 6 1\/3 innings. He struck out 10 and walked four, and although his sample size wasn\u2019t much to dissect, the righty entered 2025 with intrigue as a quick mover in the system.<\/p>\n

The innings limit<\/p>\n

The Astros transferred Mayer to the Development List on Aug. 18, ending his first full-professional season at Double-A Corpus Christi, two stops from The Show. While most Development List candidates usually have a short timetable left in an organization, Mayer just reached his maximum, tallying a career-high 87 2\/3 innings across three levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really know what the innings limit was at the time, but I did suspect that there would be a cap,\u201d said Mayer, who was two seasons removed from elbow surgery. \u201cIt was a good thing, and they were just looking out for my health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayer, the ninth-ranked Astros prospect by MLB Pipeline<\/a>, had a 4.11 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in his first full-professional season. The now 24-year-old also tallied 112 strikeouts, which marked the fifth most in Houston\u2019s system last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely taxing on the body throughout the season,\u201d Mayer said. \u201cIt\u2019s just the ups and downs on how the body was feeling, and I had to learn how to deal with that. \u2026 Doing all the recovery stuff so I can feel as good as possible into those starts in July and August.\u201d<\/p>\n

That became a focus for Mayer this offseason. While in his age-24 season, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound righty altered his preparation for Spring Training. Last spring, Mayer reported to Minor League camp feeling game ready in mid-February. This time around, he\u2019s trusted the spring ramp up to extend his season longer than last year while minimizing fatigue.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I focused on this year that I didn\u2019t necessarily in years past was the volume of throws early in the offseason,\u201d Mayer said. \u201cEven on my lower days, I was still building volume and hoping to build a foundation for the amount of throws I\u2019m going to make in the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

RHP Bryce Mayer dominated last month with @GoTourists<\/a> en route to #Astros<\/a> Minor League Pitcher of the Month honors.<\/p>\n

In 19.0 innings pitched, he recorded 23 strikeouts while only allowing 1 walk. During that span, he also limited opposing hitters to a .203 batting average. pic.twitter.com\/zBPhZljdlT<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Astros Player Development (@AstrosPlayerDev) July 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Mayer\u2019s focus at Spring Training<\/p>\n

According to MLB Pipeline, Mayer\u2019s lowest-grade pitch has been his changeup, and righty confirmed that. While marked a 40 on the 80-grade scale, Mayer\u2019s changeup got called more throughout the 2025 season. The coaches challenged him to throw the pitch more in games for feedback from opposing hitters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey stressed the importance of having that pitch in my arsenal,\u201d said Mayer, who found the Astros a good, analytical fit. \u201cIt\u2019s still something that I struggle with a little bit, and something that is a challenge going forward for me. My stuff will play. It\u2019s just more controlling what I control, attacking the strike zone and getting ahead as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

After receiving 2025 Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors, Mayer didn\u2019t bank on an invite to big league Spring Training. While the thought still creeped into his mind as a possibility, the third-year professional didn\u2019t let the news of not being selected break his offseason, while still expecting to see innings in the Grapefruit League.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can go about Spring Training how I\u2019m comfortable with and how I learned to last year,\u201d Mayer said. \u201cI\u2019m still going to be doing very similar things.\u201d<\/p>\n

In similar boats as Mayer, Ethan Pecko<\/a> (HOU No. 10) and Alonzo Tredwell<\/a> (HOU No. 25) \u2014 who both pitched in Double-A this past season \u2014 also missed out on invites to big league camp. Pecko, the 2024 Astros Minor League Pitcher of the Year, followed a similar rise in the system as Mayer and became an outlet for the Missouri product in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to be where my feet are and not look too far ahead at what\u2019s next,\u201d Mayer said. \u201cThe goal, obviously, is to get to the big league level. \u2026 When that time comes, it\u2019ll be great, but stay where I\u2019m at for now.\u201d<\/p>\n