How Houston Astros Ace Hunter Brown Has Quickly Become One of MLB's Top Pitchers

The Houston Astros possess a luxury that not many teams in baseball are fortunate enough to have.

Finding one ace to anchor a starting rotation is hard enough. For the last few years, Framber Valdez has filled that void.

This year, they have another star looking to supplant him atop the rotation in Hunter Brown, creating arguably the best one-two punch in the sport.

A fifth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Brown made his MLB debut in 2022, finding instant success in seven appearances, two starts, with a 0.89 ERA across 20.1 innings.

He would struggle in his first full Big League season in 2023 with a 5.09 ERA across 155.2 innings. But, something would click after a brutal April in 2024.

From May through the end of the season, Brown registered the third-lowest ERA in the MLB. Only Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves had lower ones, and they won the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards, respectively.

That positive momentum created in 2024 has been carried over into 2025, with Brown looking like one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Astros' Hunter Brown Has Turned Into One of Best Pitchers in Baseball

Through 12 starts, he has an 8-3 record, with his victories being the most in baseball. He has registered a stellar 1.83 ERA in 73.2 innings with 84 strikeouts.

The improvements he has made with his control are truly impressive, as he has scaled back the number of hits and home runs allowed while walking fewer batters.

His Baseball Savant page is all red, recording above-average numbers across the board. Some, such as his hard-hit percentage, strikeout rate and average exit velocity, are all elite, along with his Fastball Run Value of +13, which is in the 99th percentile.

It would not be a stretch to say Brown possesses the best fastballs in the sport, which is where a lot of his success stems from.

“Brown is just straight dominating with heat. That sinker he added last year is nasty — best among starters in Stuff+ — and it's setting up his four-seam as an action pitch, to the point that batters are "hitting" .090 on it,” wrote Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required) in a piece ranking starting pitchers for the remainder of the season in fantasy baseball.

His fastball velocity of 96.5 mph is in the 86th percentile and is a legitimate weapon with an average of 6.8 inches of tail and 17.5 inches of rise, per Baseball Savant.

A true breakout star, Hunter is putting himself in the mix for some incredible accolades, as an All-Star appearance and spot on the All-MLB Team are all within reach, along with Cy Young consideration.