2 weeks Ago
The Houston Astros ' pitching staff has been rocky this season, but one player has remained steadily effective all year long. Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer recently released an updated list of the top 10 pitchers in MLB and the Astros pitcher Hunter Brown made his way onto the ranking at the eighth spot.
Brown joins an elite tier of pitchers that includes established stars like Nothan Eovaldi, Logan Gilbert, Paul Skenes and Hunter Greene. He is just above MacKenzie Gore and Cole Ragans on the list, which is still great company to be in given the start their year's. Brown started his ascension a year ago and has established himself as a rising star, but he's taken his game to the next level this year.
The 26-year-old has a 1.50 ERA through his first four starts this season and hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts. He also has a sparkling 0.
83 WHIP, but he isn't exactly becoming the type of dominant that was expected earlier in his career. Rather than being an overwhelming strikeout machine, he has become someone that forces a lot of bad contact. His hard-hit rate has dropped from 44.
4% in 2023 to just 27.4% this year. He has done that by generating more chases for pitches out of the zone.
One big reason for his success is that his fastball velocity continues to creep up . It has risen almost two full MPH in that same time frame. He hasn't focused on just velocity, though, as it has become a truly filthy pitch as well.
It had a Stuff+ rating of 99 in 2023 and it is now up to 124. Brown is almost like a brand new pitcher from just two years ago and it has led to him full realizing his potential. It doesn't look like a fluke either.
Should he keep this level of play up, he could become a true Cy Young candidate for the next few years. Houston has him under team control through the 2028 season and he will be very important through that time frame. Framber Valdez is headed to free agency following this season and it is looking less likely that they decide to bring him back.
Brown's emergence will make that a far easier pill to swallow. Recommended Articles.
