Cristian Javier

Javier's goal in 2025 was to complete his recovery from 2024 Tommy John Surgery and show the Astros he could be ready for 2026. That mission was accomplished as he made eight starts to close the season looking a lot like the pitcher we saw prior to his injury in many ways. Hie had 20% or greater whiff rates on his three primary pitches in his fastball, sweeper, and changeup, but his other pitches were more of the show-me type that showed nothing of value. Javier did not come all the way back to his pre-2024 velocity, but his indicators were all things he had previously done and his ERA would have been better if not for a poor 59.4% LOB%. Javier has always been a risk because his extreme flyball rates leave him susceptible to home runs and his walks can double down on that pain point. Yet, we saw enough in 2025 to justify an end game speculative pick on this arm because 2022 is not that far in the rearview mirror for this 28 year old pitcher. Read Past Outlooks