Houston Astros Young Starting Pitcher Is an Ace in the Making

The Houston Astros have an ace in the making in their starting rotation.

Apr 23, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning at Daikin Park. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros are off to a little bit of a slow start. They are just two games over .500 and sit third in the AL West.

However, the team has some bright spots, one of them being young starting pitcher Hunter Brown.

Brown ended last season as one of the best starters in MLB. In his final 23 starts, the right-hander had a 2.48 ERA, threw 137.2 innings, allowed just 109 hits, struck out 143 and walked only 42 batters. He did not throw fewer than five innings in any of those starts.

The former fifth-round pick has picked up right where he left off this season and is pitching even better.

In five starts, Brown has a 1.16 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP in 31 innings pitched. Along with that, he has struck out 31 batters, walked only six and opponents are batting .163 off him.

With this Cy Young-type start to the year, MLB.com has Brown ranked No. 6 in their latest starting pitcher rankings. This comes after not ranking him in their last ratings.

This is a well-deserved placement for the 26-year-old. He is on his way to a first All-Star selection and will get some American League Cy Young votes if he keeps up the good work.

Why has Brown been so good this season?

Per Baseball Savant, the Wayne State product is in the 94th percentile in hard-hit percentage, 92nd percentile in average exit velocity and is averaging 97 mph with his fastball. All of those are categories he excelled in last year.

This season, Brown's chase percentage has gone up 6.2%, his whiff percentage is up 2.1% and his ground-ball percentage is up 4.9%.

There is a lot he has improved upon without sacrificing what he was already great at.

Houston is going to need him to keep this pace if they are going to win, as well. The Astros are a team that is going to find a way to put themselves in the playoff picture, but the offense has been struggling. This means the pitchers will have to continue to be a top staff in MLB.

Brown is going to lead the staff all season. Framber Valdez is widely considered the best starting pitcher in Houston, but that opinion is slowly changing.

Brown is becoming the ace of the staff. If he is not there yet, the right-hander is going to be before the summer ends.