HOUSTON — It's no secret that many fans in Texas have Astros fever as the team plays in its third World Series in five seasons. But even if you're already pulling for the Astros, there are four Texans in the Fall Classic -- two on each team -- that might be worth rooting for, as well.
Three of those four have ties to the Dallas area, while one grew up just west of San Antonio. A fifth person -- Houston Astros first base coach Dan Firova -- is from Refugio.
Houston Astros
Ryan Pressly - Pressly is one of the best closers in Major League Baseball and arguably the best relief pitcher throwing in the World Series. Pressly is from the Dallas area. He attended high school in Carrollton for three years before transferring to Marcus High School in Flower Mound his senior year. He originally committed to play baseball at Texas Tech but was surprised when the Boston Red Sox drafted him in the 11th round of the 2007 MLB Draft.
Pressly made his Major League debut on April 4, 2014 with the Minnesota Twins. He came to Houston as part of a three-player deadline trade in July 2018. This season, he went 5-3 with 26 saves and a 2.25 ERA, striking out 81 in 64 innings.
Brooks Raley - Raley grew up just west of San Antonio in Uvalde and he attended Uvalde High School before playing college ball at Texas A&M. Raley was a two-way star for the Aggies, pitching and playing the outfield. He even hit .304 for his college career but the Chicago Cubs drafted him in the sixth round of the 2009 draft and he's spent his professional career as a pitcher.
Raley joined the Astros in 2020 and has been primarily used as a left-handed specialist over the second half of 2021. He finished the 2021 season with a 4.78 ERA and a 2-3 ERA in 58 games.
In the ALCS he gave up one run in three innings of work.
Atlanta Braves
AJ Minter - Minter is the other Aggie in the World Series. He grew up in the Tyler area and attended Brook Hill School in Bullard. While at Texas A&M, Minter went 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA over 56 appearances.
The Braves drafted Minter in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He was called up to the big leagues in 2017 and has been there ever since. He went 3-6 with a 3.78 ERA in 61 games during the 2021 season.
Minter pitched six scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS over four games.
Chris Martin - Martin is from Arlington and attended Arlington High School. Martin did not have the instant success some of his peers have had -- he's had to grind out an MLB career. At one point, he was even a UPS worker at DFW Airport.
Martin played college ball for McLennan Community College in Waco. The Colorado Rockies selected Martin in the 21st round of the 2005 MLB Draft, but Martin suffered a shoulder injury and the Rockies chose not to offer him a contract. Martin was not selected at all in the 2006 MLB Draft.
Martin chose not to get surgery on his shoulder. He quit baseball, went home, and got the job with UPS. But then his shoulder started to heal, and Martin started getting his velocity back. After three years out of the game, he tried out for the independent Grand Prairie AirHogs in 2010. One year later, the Boston Red Sox invited him to tryout during spring training and signed him to a Minor League contract.
Martin has bounced around the league but joined Atlanta in 2019. He made three appearances against the Dodgers in the NLCS, giving up 1 run over 2 innings.
