Brown working to become Astros’ ace ‘for years to come’
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hunter Brown’s evolution last year from a fledging starter to a dominant force was one of the biggest developments of the Astros’ 2024 season and mirrored the team’s turnaround from a struggling 7-19 club in early May to an American League West division champion.
It was Brown — and not veteran Yusei Kikuchi, whom the club gave up three prospects to the Jays for at the Trade Deadline to acquire — who started Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Tigers. And Brown will be slotted into the No. 2 position in Houston’s rotation to begin year, manager Joe Espada said Tuesday. He’ll start the second game of the season on March 28 against the Mets at Daikin Park.
Brown is the Astros’ ace-in-waiting behind lefty Framber Valdez, who will make his fourth consecutive Opening Day start. Valdez is a free agent after this season, so Brown could get a chance to headline Houston’s rotation beginning next year. But first things first — Brown is looking to put together a strong campaign from start to finish in 2025.
“I think just as your career goes on you grow,” Brown said. “I can date it back all the way when I was playing college ball, how I felt as a freshman coming in and when I left as an upperclassman. Even when I had two seasons in Triple-A, how I felt the first time I got there and now. Now here, I have a couple of seasons under my belt, so I definitely feel a lot better.”
Brown stopped short of saying he feels more “comfortable,” knowing all too well that’s when you can get knocked down. Others have noticed a change this spring in the 26-year-old right-hander off the field.
