In a baseball world that seems smaller and smaller with each passing day, the idea of an unheard-of prospect signed for a measly bonus who goes on to develop into a star seems next to impossible. No matter the feeder system, whether it be domestic college players, high schoolers, professionals from Asia or top teenage talents from the Dominican Republic, Cuba or Venezuela, MLB organizations are extremely thorough and downright Machiavellian in their pursuits of the best players from around the globe.Â
Which is exactly why Astros righthanded pitching prospect Anderson Brito is an outlier.
Signed for just $10,000 late in the 2023 international signing period, Brito saw a jump in velocity just before inking his deal. Another came heading into the spring of his professional debut. Now, he’s averaging 96 mph, climbing prospect ranks and making up for any lack of attention prior to turning pro.
Today, weâ€ll be continuing our offseason series on potential sleeper and breakout pitchers by taking a deep dive into what makes Brito an intriguing name to follow heading into 2026.
Career Background
Brito began his professional career in 2024 in the Dominican Summer League. He made seven appearances spanning 22.1 innings, going 3-0 with a 0.40 ERA, 40 strikeouts to six walks and a .091 batting average against. The Astros made a rare in-season, stateside promotion with Brito, moving him to the clubâ€s Florida Complex League affiliate. He didnâ€t last long in the FCL, however, as he made one appearance—four scoreless innings while striking out four—before being promoted to Low-A Fayetteville on July 21. Brito remained there for the rest of the season, making seven appearances (five starts) and striking out 38 batters to 15 walks with a 2.63 ERA across 27.1 innings.
Coming out of spring training in 2025, Houston assigned Brito to High-A Asheville, where he made 12 starts before going down with a stress reaction in his pitching shoulder that cost him the final two months of the season. Prior to the injury, Brito had pitched well across 49.1 innings, posting a 3.28 ERA backed by a 2.91 FIP and 3.54 xFIP. He struck out 31.1% of batters faced while generating ground balls at a rate of 46.4%. He did struggle with command in a manner similar to his time in Low-A at the end of 2024, as he walked 13.4%, ran a 42.6% first-strike percentage and threw strikes overall 60.9% of the time.Â
Brito, who finished the regular season ranked 11th in Houston’s system and is primed to climb even higher in BA’s upcoming 2026 Astros Top 10 list, would reemerge from injury in the Arizona Fall League. There, he wowed scouts with his loud stuff and competitive demeanor. Brito made four appearances for Scottsdale, striking out 22 batters to seven walks across 11.1 innings. He was selected an AFL all-star representing the American League in the Fall Stars game.
Pitching Profile
At 5-foot-10, Brito is an undersized power pitcher with an athletic frame and dynamic operation on the mound. He’s an especially good mover, which helps him to create plus six-and-a-half-foot extension for his size and get a flat vertical approach angle despite a high three-quarters arm slot. The results is a unique blend of fastball traits that plays across his entire five-pitch mix. He features five average-or-better pitches in a four-seam fastball, curveball, cutter, sweeper and changeup. Both his fastball and curveball are plus, while his changeup earns an above-average grade.
While he boasts a collection of deceptive pitch traits, everything starts with Brito’s unique fastball. He was one of only nine pitchers who threw a four-seamer in the minor leagues in 2025 that averaged 96 mph or above with 17 or more inches of induced vertical break and a vertical approach angle of -4.4 degrees or below.
playerorgthrowsavg veloivbhbvaaMason MontgomeryTBL99.217.2-5.1-4.18Hunter CrantonAZR97.4178.2-3.76Levi WellsBALR96.817.69.9-4.38Alex MakarewichLADR96.618.98.8-4.15David BednarPITR96.419.18.4-4.2Bryce MillerSEAR96.417.87-4.12Emmet SheehanLADR96.4178.8-3.84Anderson BritoHOUR9617.64.2-4.4Andrew WaltersCLER9618.39.5-4.12
Though Britoâ€s four-seamer is not quite as flat as some of the others, he generates the most cut in the group with just 4.2 inches of horizontal break on average. He generated misses at a high rate against the pitch, posting a 29.8% whiff rate with a 27.3% chase rate—both high markers for a fastball.Â
The fastball is not Britoâ€s only plus offering, as he also works with a curveball that stands out among his minor league peers. While curveballs have become passé in recent years as a wide variety of other breaking ball styles have gained steam, Brito still brings out old Uncle Charlie each time he steps on the mound. And when he does, he creates a unique combination of velocity, spin and depth on his curve that has few peers in the minors.Â
playerorgthrowsavg
velomax
velospinivbAnderson BritoHOUR83.987.62644-9.9Alex MakarewichLADR84.987.52664-13.4Edward CabreraMIAR8587.42639-9.7Clarke SchmidtNYYR84.486.53000-14.4Tommy NanceTORR84.687.92926-14.7Kade StrowdBALR83.986.52906-11.6
As seen above, only five other pitchers threw a curveball that averaged 83.5 mph or harder with at least 2600 rpm of spin and nine or more inches of negative induced vertical break. Itâ€s not just fancy numbers on a page for Brito, either, as he generated whiffs against the pitch at a rate of 41.2% in 2025.Â
Brito also throws a low-90s cutter as a bridge pitch between his fastball, curveball and sweeper. The pitch sits 90-92 mph with moderate ride and true cut. Itâ€s not a swing-and-miss offering, but it does steal some strikes, help keep hitters off his fastball and pair well with more traditional breaking balls.Â
The sweeper is an average pitch sitting 83-85 mph with 13 inches of horizontal break and serious late bite. Itâ€s less effective as a swing-and-miss pitch than his fastball, curveball or changeup, but, like most of Brito’s pitches, it shows a good combination of break and velocity, making it a potentially effective pitch when used effectively.Â
While thrown the least of any of Britoâ€s offerings, his changeup is an above-average pitch. It sits 85-88 mph with splitter-like shape and significant vertical separation off the fastball. Despite its limited usage, Brito’s change generated whiffs 45.9% of the time last season and could be a larger part of his arsenal going forward.
Brito lacks the size of a typical starter and certainly comes with some durability questions coming off of his shoulder injury in 2025. Even so, he shows potential for average command of a mix of five average-or-better pitches. His plus fastball and curveball combination would likely play up out of the bullpen, but thanks to more pitchability than his strike rates show and a deep arsenal of good offerings, Brito still has a chance to blossom into a midrotation starter.Â