The Cleveland Guardians’ front office exhibits the same never-quit determination of the team. It comes as no surprise that the organization moved quickly after the season to add another pitching prospect, 22-year-old Luke House.
Never heard of him? There’s now at least a chance the lanky 6-foot-6, 195-pound right-hander can become a House-hold name in an organization known for developing pitchers.
ARKADELPHIA, AR: Luke House delivers a pitch for the Ouachita Baptist Tigers.
OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
A big, over-the top curveball is the best of House’s five-pitch mix, which includes a slider, sinker, splitter and fastball that averages 92-94 mph. He throws them all for strikes, which has helped him work deeper into games.
“He’s tall and when he commands the curve that thing looks like it is dropping from the sky,” said a veteran scout for a National League team. “A lot of these kids never saw anything like that.
“He’s far from a sure thing, though. He has to repeat his delivery better, throwing all his pitches from the same slot. He can use a few more miles per hour on the heater but has decent spin rates on that and his breaking balls.
“We had some interest, you might say ‘Luke’ warm. We went with other options. You never know. Look at Seth Lugo. Low draft pick. Big guy. Bounced around. Boom, an all-star. Jared Koenig, he pitched all over. Where would the (Milwaukee) Brewers be without him in the bullpen?”
KANSAS CITY, MO: Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo pitches in the first inning of Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees on Oc. 9, 2024 at Kauffman Stadium. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Lugo, a 34th-round pick in 2011, was ordinary in 103 games in the minors and helpful but without a real role in 275 games for the New York Mets. After one typically solid yet non-spectacular season for the San Diego Padres, the 6-4 right-hander was a 16-game winner and all-star for the Kansas City Royals in 2024.
Koenig, a 35th-rounder in 2014, pitched four years in independent ball (including the Lake Erie Crushers near Cleveland), another in Australia and four more in the minors. The past two years, the 6-5 righthander has a combined 15-5 record and 2.67 ERA for Milwaukee.
House had a 3-0 record and 2.11 ERA in the first half of the 2025 MLB Draft League for the State College (PA) Spikes. He pitched six scoreless innings in the final game of the half to help the team win the first half title. In September, he worked in relief in the 12-5 loss to the West Virginia Black Bears in the championship game.
Before that, House pitched four years at little Ouachita Baptist College in Arkansas. He had ordinary stats, a 20-16 record, 4.83 ERA.
The MLB Draft League beckoned. House did well enough against other undrafted players to sign a contract with Cleveland.
Draft League Alumni
The past two years, 10 former Draft League players made it to MLB, including Darren Baker. The son of long-time player and manager Dusty Baker went 7-for-14 at the plate in nine games for the Washington Nationals in 2024. He was at Triple-A Rochester all of 2025.
Late this season, hard-throwing Jonah Tong joined the New York Mets and Hayden Harris was called up by the Atlanta Braves.
Tong had a 10-5 record and 1.43 ERA in 22 starts in the minors this year, fanning 162 in 102 innings. The 22-year-old right-hander was hit hard in five starts for the Mets (2-3, 7.71 ERA).
NEW YORK: Jonah Tong of the New York Mets follows through on a pitch against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on Aug. 29, 2025. (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images)
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Harris pitched only 2 2/3 innings for Atlanta. That was after the 26-year-old right-hander had a 6-0 record, 0.52 ERA in 43 minor-league relief outings. He fanned 79 and allowed only 20 hits over 52 innings.
Other MLB Draft League alumni to debut in MLB in 2024-25:
- Zach Dezenzo, Houston Astros, INF.
- Troy Taylor, Seattle Mariners, RHP
- Luis Guerrero, Boston Red Sox, RHP.
- Logan VanWey, Houston Astros, RHP.
- Andrew Hoffmann, Kansas City Royals, RHP.
- Jonathan Pintaro, New York Mets, RHP.
- Nathan Church, St. Louis Cardinals, OF.
The MLB Draft League
Formed in 2021, the 80-game season is split into two halves. The first half is run as an amateur collegiate summer league to showcase draft-eligible prospects. After the MLB Draft, play resumes with pro players joining in.
The six teams were formerly members of the New York-Penn League, Eastern League and Carolina League:
- Frederick (MD) Keys
- Mahoning Valley (OH) Scrappers
- State College (PA) Spikes)
- Trenton (NJ) Thunder
- West Virginia Black Bears
- Williamsport (PA) Crosscutters
In 2026, the Aberdeen (MD) Ironbirds will replace Frederick, which is switching places with them in the High A South Atlantic League
Big Guys, Big Curveballs
Adam Wainwright stood 6-foot-7 and used a good curveball to baffle hitters for 18 years with the St. Louis Cardinals.
He became a rookie hero in the 2006 World Series. In the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres and then the NL Championship Series against the New York Mets, Wainwright was sensational. In 6 2/3 innings over six outings, he struck out 10 and earned 3 saves.
ST LOUIS: Adam Wainwright of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrates after saving a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game Five to win the 2006 World Series on Oct. 27, 2006 at Busch Stadium. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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In the World Series, he fanned 5 in 3 innings and 3 outings. He won Game 4 in relief and one night later saved Game 5 to eliminate the Detroit Tigers.
After 63 relief outings, he moved into the starting rotation to stay in 2007. Wainwright won 200 games, including 20 in a season once and 19 twice. He had a 2.83 ERA in 29 post-season games.
Other pitchers standing 6-2 or taller with good curveballs as part of their arsenal were Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven, Sandy Koufax, Jim Palmer, Satchel Paige and Dazzy Vance.
Luke House’s Future With Cleveland Guardians
The native Texan is a long-shot to pitch in the majors. The odds got a tad shorter by signing a pro deal.
The MLB Draft League has produced 233 MLB Draft picks and House is among more than 180 undrafted free agents to sign an MLB contract.
MIAMI BEACH, FL: Travis Jackson, captain of the world champion New York Giants, at the spring training on March 7, 1934.
Bettmann Archive
He could be the fifth player from Ouachita Baptist to make the majors and first since 1961. Incredibly, one of the previous four is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Shortstop Travis Jackson hit .291 over 15 seasons with the New York Giants, 1922-36.
House’s big curve is a plus. The game is trending more to breaking-ball pitchers. With instruction and work, House may become another fine Cleveland Guardians pitcher.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckmurr/2025/10/14/cleveland-guardians-sign-prospect-luke-house-of-2025-mlb-draft-league/
