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Astros' Core in Great Shape Moving Forward With Two Emerging Stars
Aug 31, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Daikin Park. Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Astros' Core in Great Shape Moving Forward With Two Emerging Stars

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Nick Ziegler  |  Last updated Sep 6, 2025 5:09 PM ET

Despite injuries, the Houston Astros have been able to survive in the American League West and are holding strong in first place in the division. 

Coming into the season, there were a lot of uncertainties surrounding how good the team could be after a winter filled with plenty of change. For the last decade, the team has been one of the best in the AL, and the road has mostly gone through Houston. 

With September rolling on, the Astros are still in a tight race with the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers, but they are currently in a good spot. The 2025 campaign could have gone in a couple of different directions, but this is a team that has proven to show a lot of resilience. 

Even though the roster looks different, the success of the franchise has been able to be sustained. Going forward, this season has shown that the team is still built to compete in the near future as well. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN recently wrote about the core of the Astros being one of the best in the league, despite losing some key players this past winter. 

Is Houston Built for Success?

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

When looking at the roster, there are a couple of young players both in the lineup and the starting rotation that should cause a good amount of optimism for the future. In the batting order, the team has been led for a good chunk of the year by Jeremy Pena. 

The former World Series MVP is having his best regular season, and when Yordan Alvarez was out for most of the campaign, it has been the young slugger who stepped up in a significant way. 

In the starting rotation, it has been the emergence of Hunter Brown as the new ace of the staff. The young right-hander has been able to take a massive step forward and is trending toward being an AL Cy Young Award candidate for years to come. 

While Pena and Brown might be the new foundation of the core going forward, a player like Alvarez is also going to be an impact player for the team for years to come. With a decade of success now, the Astros have had to reshape their core multiple times. 

Despite it looking like the 2025 campaign could be a bit of a retool, the team has still been able to compete in the American League. 

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This article first appeared on Houston Astros on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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