Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros, Chad Qualls took a long route to find his way back to the 2015 club. The right-handed reliever first debuted with the Astros in 2004, throwing in 25 games with a 3.55 ERA. Technically, Qualls was a rookie in 2005 when the team reached the World Series, and he was a decent contributor in the bullpen: 3.28 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 79 2/3 IP, 60 Ks.
Qualls would spend two more seasons with the club and posted similar numbers before he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2007 offseason along with Chris Burke for closer Jose Valverde.