| Zac Houston | |
| Team: | Free agent |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 30 November 1994 |
| Birth Place: | Slidell, Louisiana |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
Zachary Matthew Houston (born November 30, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.
Houston attended Poplarville High School in Poplarville, Mississippi, and Mississippi State University, where he played college baseball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[1] [2] In 2015, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[3]
Houston was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 11th round, with the 325th overall selection, of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[4] [5]
Houston signed with Detroit and spent his first professional season with the Connecticut Tigers and West Michigan Whitecaps, going a combined 2-0 with a 0.30 ERA in 20 relief appearances between both teams.[6] He pitched 2017 with West Michigan and the Lakeland Flying Tigers where he pitched to a combined 0-1 record and 2.17 ERA in 58 total relief innings pitched.[7] After the season he played in the Arizona Fall League. He started 2018 with the Erie SeaWolves and was promoted to the Toledo Mud Hens during the season.[8] Houston finished the year with a 1.63 ERA across 46 games for both affiliates.
Houston split the 2019 season back with Erie and Toledo, accumulating a 7–2 record and 4.53 ERA with 68 strikeouts across 40 total games. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] Houston returned to action in 2021, appearing in only 7 games for West Michigan and the rookie–level Florida Complex League Tigers. In 2022, he once again played for Erie and Toledo, accumulating a 2–7 record and 5.47 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 4 saves across 48 contests.[10] Houston elected free agency following the season on November 10, 2022.[11]
On December 4, 2022, Houston signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees. He split the 2023 season between the Double–A Somerset Patriots and Triple–A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. In 37 games between the two affiliates, Houston recorded a cumulative 4.43 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 2 saves across innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.[12]
On December 13, 2023, Houston signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.[13] On March 23, 2024, Houston was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for cash considerations.[14] In 14 appearances for the Triple–A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he struggled to a 10.29 ERA with 19 strikeouts across 14 innings pitched. On July 3, Houston was released by the Phillies organization.[15]