Three Bold Predictions for Astros Superstar Hunter Brown in 2026

The Houston Astros have a young talent on their roster in the form of Hunter Brown, and if you thought he broke out last season, wait until 2026's campaign.

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

While the Houston Astros might not be the unanimous front-runners to win the AL West like they were during their dynasty era, they still have a team full of talent to make the playoffs and have a deep run in it. And it all starts with starting pitching.

The recent focus has been on the franchise signing Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai to a three-year deal, but Astros fans shouldn't overlook the ace of the pitching staff, Hunter Brown. After a stellar 2025 campaign, things feel like they're only going up from here for the Michigan native.

3 Hunter Brown 2026 Predictions

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1. Brown Surpasses 200 Innings Pitched

Last season, Brown seemingly saw all his numbers improve from the previous year, posting a new career high in innings pitched with 185.1. The Astros need to utilize the starts where Brown is dominant from the get-go, meaning they need to keep him in games as long as possible.

It's not often in this day and age of baseball that pitchers surpass 200 innings pitched, but seeing as though Brown is projected to be the ace of the staff, it's important he builds on 2025's credibility in 2026, and eating innings effectively will do just that.

2. Brown Leads AL in ERA

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The American League has some juggernaut pitchers representing it, such as back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox star Garrett Crochet. But only Skubal had a better ERA in the AL than Brown last season, with a 2.21, as Brown finished with a 2.43.

Since 2023, Brown has lowered his ERA each season, and while it will be a tall task to get an ERA lower than 2.43 in a hitter-friendly home ballpark, he did post a 2.30 ERA when pitching at Daikin Park compared to his road ERA of 2.54.

Hitters had a tough time against Brown last season, as he cracked the top three in exit velocity (86.1) and hard hit percentage (32.2%) according to Baseball Savant. If that remains consistent, Brown is seemingly untouchable on the mound and his ERA will surely show for it.

3. Brown Finishes Top 2 in Cy Young Votes

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While it's tough to know before the season begins who will win the American League Cy Young Award, it's easy to say that Brown will be in the conversation. The Astros ace finished third in Cy Young voting last season, collecting 24 third-place votes.

That has to be a motivating factor for Brown as he goes into his fifth season in the MLB. Easily a top pitcher in the league, so long as Brown stays healthy and consistent, he should be able to give Skubal or Crochet a run for their money, assuming those two return to their 2025 forms as well.

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