Astros’ All-Star Aces Named Owners of AL’s Most Dominant Pitches

The Houston Astros have faltered as of late, unfortunatley coming at the exact same time as the Seattle Mariners getting hot, and suddenly the two were tied for the division lead after Tuesday's action. Both teams will battle it out, with pitching at the forefront for both squads. For the Astros, that starts with Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown.

In a recent poll conducted by Baseball America, executives and scouts were polled to determine who has the best tools in each league. Both Brown and Valdez are at the top of the "Best Curveball" in the American League.

The poll gives the top three, and Brown is number one for the curveball. Once a top prospect, Brown has finally found his stride and is having the breakout season Houston has been waiting for. Earning his first All-Star nod at 26 years old, Brown's 2.51 ERA and 10.6 K/9 are the best of his career.

Once earning comparisons to Justin Verlander, Brown has been able to improve his knuckle curveball to become his best pitch.

Brown offers six different pitches, but his cutter and slider are both used less than six percent of the time. His curveball is his best out pitch by a bit of a margin. He only throws it 16.4 percent of the time, but it's still devastating.

Opposing lineups are hitting .169 and slugging .205 off of Brown's curveball. It produces a 36.7 whiff percentage and his breaking run value is in the 93rd percentile, via Baseball Savant. Although he doesn't throw it as frequently as other pitchers, it's incredibly hard to hit when he does.

Veteran lefty Framber Valdez comes in right behind Brown on the curveball rankings, according to the poll. Valdez, a two-time All-Star, has been the Astros' ace since the departures of Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander.

Valdez really began to prove himself in 2021, when he had a 3.14 ERA in 22 starts. Over the next two seasons, he could become an All-Star, leading the league in innings in 2022 and shutouts in both 2022 and 2023.

He's arguably become better since turning 30, posting a career best 4.4 bWAR in 2024 with a 2.91 ERA. The lefty has gotten Cy Young votes every year since 2022 and will again this season, which might be his best yet.

The 31-year-old has already matched his career high in bWAR, has two complete games and has struck out 145 in 145.2 innings. Like Brown, his curveball is by far and away his best pitch and his go to for getting strikeouts.

In 2025, Valdez has thrown his curveball 33.3 percent of the time, up from his 2024 mark of 31.3 percent, according to Baseball Savant. Batters are hitting .196 against it, and it has far and away been his best strikeout pitch. 95 of his strikeouts have come via the curveball. The second closest is his changeup, which he has used to get 22 batters.

With a 44.1 percent whiff rate and a 30.7 put away percentage, it is legitimately one of the best strikeout pitches in the game.

The Houston Astros are going to have a tough road ahead of them competing with the Mariners for the division, but having their two best pitches have an elite offering is a great way to gain an edge.

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