Astros Ace Hunter Brown Climbs Back Into Latest MLB Pitcher Power Rankings

Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown has returned to the latest starting pitcher power rankings.

Aug 19, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Comerica Park. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The breakout year of right-handed starting pitcher Hunter Brown has continued for the Houston Astros, as the team's ace has allowed just three earned runs in his past three starts.

In his third full season as a member of the team's starting rotation, Brown has maintained his excellent durability while also reaching his ceiling as one of the very best starting pitchers the game has to offer.

Brown made 29 starts in 2023, 30 in 2024 and he's already up to 26 with a month still to go this season. That health has been a gold mine for an Astros team that has multiple high-level starting pitchers hit the injured list in recent years.

Hunter Brown Earns No. 5 Spot in Most Pitcher Power Rankings

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

After inexplicably not making the rankings last time around, Brown is back in the latest edition of MLB.com's starting pitcher power rankings, earning the No. 5 spot thanks to his stellar performance in the month of August.

"Brown ranks second in the AL in ERA, with his 2.37 mark putting him right between Skubal and Crochet," David Adler wrote in explaining the ranking. "He's also third in strikeouts with 177, behind only the two Cy Young frontrunners. Brown is about to set a career high in K's, and he has a chance to reach 200."

While the wrong of leaving him off last time has now been righted, the narrative around the American League Cy Young race has taken a strange turn. Despite his numbers being roughly in line with those of Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and Boston Red Sox star Garret Crochet, it seems to be seen as a two-horse race for the award.

Rev it up, Diesel. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/gMUFzNgEL8

— Houston Astros (@astros) August 20, 2025

Skubal has a pretty airtight argument to be seen as the favorite to take the honor for the second year in a row, as his stats are slightly better than those of Brown and Crochet. He's also upped his game compared to last season when he won the league's pitching triple crown and took the award in a walk, but there's no reason to count Brown out as a clear-cut finalist.

Brown is doing yeoman's work to keep the Astros' pitching staff afloat despite countless long-term, crucial injuries to the team's other arms and a recent cold stretch from co-ace Framber Valdez. Houston had a largely miserable month of August thanks to shaky pitching and an inconsistent offense, but Brown has both pitched well and saved the bullpen during his outings, going at least six innings in four of his five starts and pitching into the sixth in the one he didn't.

The Michigan native even went toe-to-toe with Skubal in his home state on Aug. 19, firing six shutout innings against the Tigers. Skubal blanked Houston in kind and Detroit went on to win 1-0 in extra innings, but Brown proved on that day against the league's top dog that he's right there in the running as one of the most elite pitchers in the sport.