The Ole Miss transfer came on strong late in the season for pitching coach Max Weiner.
With the No. 516 selection in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Houston Astros chose Texas Longhorns right-handed pitcher Grayson Saunier.
Houston, we don’t have a problem #HookEm | @GraysonSaunier | @astros pic.twitter.com/EDOg8nGw9O
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) July 14, 2025
The 6’4, 222-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining, but is considered a highly-signable prospect.
During one season at Texas, Saunier wasn’t a large factor in the bullpen through the first several months of the season before a change in arm slot helped him came on strong late. Over 12 appearances, including one start, Saunier recorded a 2-0 record with a 3.86 ERA in 25.2 innings, striking out 17 batters while holding opponents to a .237 batting average.
Out of Memphis (Tenn.) Collier in the 2022 class, Saunier was an 19th round draft pick of the Texas Rangers that year while ranking as the nation’s No. 126 prospect, No. 37 right-handed pitcher, and No. 2 player in Tennessee by Perfect Game.
At the time, Saunier featured a fastball sitting around 90 mph and maxing out at 94 with some signs of developing four solid pitches, but his changeup was probably his best secondary pitch.
During two seasons at Ole Miss, Saunier started in the weekend rotation both years, although inconsistency kept him from being able to hold those roles.
As a freshman, he started in all 12 appearances, posting a 2-4 record and 6.85 ERA as opponents hit .290 against him with 11 doubles and 13 home runs. Saunier did strike out 52 batters in 46.0 innings, but also threw nine wild pitches and walked 27 batters.
In 2024, Saunier showed some signs of improvement with a 4-3 record, 5.64 ERA, cutting his walks to 16 in 44.2 innings and hitting three batters as opponents hit .278 with seven doubles and seven home runs. The strikeouts also dropped as Saunier’s command improved, down to 35.