Where Young Houston Astros Ace Stands Against Other Cy Young Favorites

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown has taken himself from an underrated, ascending young pitcher to one of the best arms in the MLB in 2025. And he's still finding new ways to raise the bar and impress fans.

Brown put on a show in Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins, throwing for seven innings with three hits, two earned runs, and a new career-high 12 strikeouts. It's his first outing with double-digit punchouts, and his ERA now stands at 1.88.

In many years, Brown would be an easy favorite to win the American League Cy Young Award. His 0.93 WHIP and 105 strikeouts are both ranked No. 6 in baseball and his 8-3 record is tied for second-best.

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So what's the gap between Brown and the other favorites?

It's hard to point to anyone but Tarik Skubal as the singular favorite right now. The Detroit Tigers ace — the word "ace" doesn't even really do him justice — is defending his title from last year, grabbing the American League Cy Young award while claiming pitching's triple crown.

Skubal has the best WHIP in baseball at 0.81. Skubal bests Brown in strikeouts at 111-105, but Brown wins in ERA at 1.88 versus 1.99. Skubal also has the team success card in his back pocket should things stay close down the stretch, with the Tigers sporting the best record in the AL

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But Brown isn't alone in trying to catch the reigning winner. First-year New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried has answered the bell flawlessly, stepping in for the injured Gerrit Cole, and has also put himself in the Cy Young race.

Fried is behind on Brown's strikeouts, having just 90 as of Sunday. But he's comparable in everything else. His 1.89 ERA is right there with Brown. He has a 0.95 WHIP, but Fried beats Brown in innings pitched at 95 compared to 86.

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In short, Brown's chances of winning the award are as good as anyone's. He has even more traction against the next group in the conversation, like Fried's teammate Carlos Rodon, or new Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet.

While he may have to rely on Skubal's numbers to drop a tad, which he can control, everything he can control should keep him at the front of the race.

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