Is Houston Astros Rookie Among Best Players in MLB?

Watch out, Gerrit Cole.

Scoot on over, Shohei Ohtani.

And keep an eye on the rearview mirror, Sonny Gray.

Although the three aforementioned names are prime examples of elite Major League Baseball pitchers, Houston Astros rookie Hunter Brown has also hurdled himself into the mix of masterminds on the mound in 2023.

In fact, Brown’s outing on Friday in Oakland may have been his best performance yet. The 24-year-old right-hander threw seven innings while allowing just two earned runs (on four hits), walking just one and striking out a career-high 10 batters for his fifth win of the year.

Have yourself a night, @xhunterbrownx!

Struck out a career-high 10 batters tonight. pic.twitter.com/cf5fo2L2ez
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 27, 2023

So far this season, Brown is 5-1 over 10 starts (57.2 innings pitched) with a 3.12 ERA, 66 strikeouts and a sparkling 1.20 WHIP.

Let’s compare those numbers to the players discussed earlier: Cole, Ohtani and Gray.

This season, New York Yankees ace Cole — a former Astros player and fan favorite — is 5-0 over 11 starts (67.2 innings pitched) with a 2.53 ERA, 70 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP.

And this is an established veteran in Cole we’re talking about here!

Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Ohtani, meanwhile, is 5-1 over 10 starts (59.0 innings pitched) with a 3.05 ERA, 80 strikeouts and a 0.90 WHIP.

Minnesota Twins righty Gray is 4-0 this year over 10 starts (54.1 innings pitched) with a 1.82 ERA, 66 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP.

Look, based purely on numbers alone, Brown is pushing himself into the same category as some of the best pitchers to ever play the game.

Again, he's just 24 years old.

Could Brown possibly win Rookie of the Year, or maybe even make a run at the Cy Young award in his very first season in the Majors?

He very well could garner votes for both.

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