Inside the Astros

Astros Ace Has Been the Most Clutch Pitcher in Baseball This Season

One Houston Astros pitcher consistently rises to the occasion in high-leverage situations.
Kenneth Teape|
Jun 24, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Daikin Park.
Jun 24, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Daikin Park. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

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Houston Astros

One of the major reasons that the Houston Astros have found as much success during the 2025 MLB regular season as they have is because of their pitching staff.

Despite having more than an entire starting rotation on the injured list, including Spencer Arrighetti, Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco, who were all on the Opening Day roster, the team has found a way to keep chugging along.

One of the players anchoring the starting rotation has been ace, Framber Valdez.

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He has consistently been one of the most productive starting pitchers in baseball over the last few years, and this offseason he will have the opportunity to cash in accordingly as a free agent.

Valdez is only strengthening his case to receive a nine-figure deal despite him set to be 32 years old on Opening Day in 2026 because he continues to produce at a high level and has the kind of stuff that ages gracefully.

Not relying on overpowering opponents with high velocity, he induces soft contact and groundballs with the best of pitchers in the game.

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Through 16 starts this season, Valdez has a 2.88 ERA across 103 innings with 102 strikeouts. He has thrown two complete games and is on pace to make at least 31 starts and throw nearly 200 innings again.

His 139 ERA+ would be the highest since his rookie campaign when he threw only 37 innings, picking the perfect time to increase his production ahead of free agency.

Another reason that teams will be lining up to add him to their rotation is that he gets the job done in the toughest situations.

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As shared by Thomas Nestico on X, Valdez is the most clutch pitcher in baseball thus far in 2025.

His clutch score of 0.88 is 10th overall. There is only one other pitcher, Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins, who is inside the top 20.

It makes things much easier on manager Joe Espada knowing that Valdez can handle himself in high-leverage situations, rising to the occasion and performing at a high level.

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He has done it continually in his career and continues to be a reliable source of production on the mound for Houston.

For more Astros news, head over to Astros On SI.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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