Surprise Starting Pitcher Predicted to Win AL Cy Young for Houston Astros

Will the Houston Astros have a couple of pitchers in the Cy Young conversation next year?

Oct 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown (58) reacts after striking out Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers (not pictured) to end the top of the fifth inning of game two of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

It has been a busy offseason for the Houston Astros, who will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 campaign.

After being eliminated in the American League Wild Card Round, the Astros came into the offseason as a team that was likely going to look different. However, nobody likely saw the changes that would be coming.

With Kyle Tucker being traded and Alex Bregman likely going elsewhere, the lineup for Houston is going to be very different in 2025. However, while the lineup is going to have some new faces, the starting rotation for the Astros will likely be the strength of the team.

Even though they got off to a slow start in 2024, the rotation for Houston became one of the best units in baseball.

MLB.com recently made one bold prediction for each team. For the Astros, they predicted that right-hander Hunter Brown would win the American League Cy Young.

“Ok, that’s a bold prediction, especially with Detroit’s Tarik Skubal coming off a unanimous Cy Young season and looking like a guy who might win a few more. Hunter Brown’s breakout season was something to behold, though, and was one of the club’s biggest storylines of 2024.”

Seeing Brown as the choice to win the Cy Young in the American League is certainly a bold prediction. The young right-hander was able to have a breakout season in 2024, totaling a (11-9) record and a 3.49 ERA.

However, while those are solid numbers overall, the 26-year-old got much better in the second half of the season when he added a sinker to his repertoire. After having a 4.39 ERA in the first half, that number dropped down to 2.26 in the second half.

If Brown can sustain that type of performance for an entire season, he would be right in the mix for the Cy Young Award. When looking at what the star southpaw of the Detroit Tigers was able to accomplish in 2024, dethroning him will be a tall task.

Last year, Skubal totaled a (18-4) record, 2.39 ERA, and 228 strikeouts in one of the best seasons from a starting pitcher in quite some time.

Even if Brown doesn’t win the Cy Young in 2025, the Astros should have a very strong rotation. Since Houston has elected not to trade their ace Framber Valdez so far this winter, they are going to be leaning on their rotation to carry them in 2025.

After a breakout season in 2024, perhaps Brown will be ready to take another step forward in 2025. If the right-hander sustains his performance from the second half of the season for a full year, he very well could be in the Cy Young conversation.