Ryan Houston

Ryan Kristopher Houston

• Bats Right Throws Right
• Height 6' 4" Weight 192 lb.

• School Pensacola Junior College
• High School Escambia High School

• Born September 22, 1979 in Pensacola, FL USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Ryan Houston is a pitcher who has spent eight seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league organization, after being drafted by the Jays in the 31st round in the 1998 amateur draft. His fastball has reached 95 mph.

Houston did not sign until after the 1998 minor league season ended. He debuted with the 1999 Medicine Hat Blue Jays and was hit hard, posting a 3-4, 6.70 line with one save, allowing 61 hits in 45 2/3 innings, one of the least effective pitchers on the team. In 2000, he was much more effective with the Queens Kings (1-2, 2.83, 29 K in 29 1/3 IP) and the Hagerstown Suns (5-1, 2.21, .142 opponent batting average allowed).

Ryan spent all of 2001 with the Dunedin Blue Jays, where his record was 7-5, 4.19 with one save. In 2002, the 22-year-old right-hander only got into 14 games, presumably due to injury. His records were 1-2, 4.25 for the Charleston Alley Cats and 2-2, 4.06 for the Auburn Doubledays.

Houston moved primarily to the bullpen while splitting 2003 between Charleston (2-4, 2 Sv, 2.67, .201 average allowed, 38 K in 30 1/3 IP) and Dunedin (1-2, 3 Sv, 2.66, .198 average, 54 K in 50 2/3 IP). In 2004, Ryan was up to AA with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and went 7-4 with a 4.33 ERA, striking out over a batter per inning. The next year, he battled a right elbow injury but did well with New Hampshire, going 3-2 with 7 saves and a 2.68 ERA. He allowed just a .183 average and fanned 50 in 40 1/3 IP. The 25-year-old was added to the 40-man roster by Toronto.

Most recently, he pitched for Syracuse in the AAA International League in 2006, posting a 3.68 ERA in 46 games in relief, as his ERA rose exactly one point. He went 2-4 with two saves but allowed over a hit per inning.

During the 2006-2007 off-season, he has pitched quite well in the Venezuelan Winter League, with an ERA of 0.00 in his first 17 1/3 innings. As of December 24, he is 1-1 with six saves and a 0.36 ERA in 24 outings.

Sources include 1999-2006 Baseball Almanacs, Minorleaguebaseball.com