Going into the winter, a lot of the talk surrounding the Houston Astros was whether or not Framber Valdez had thrown his last pitch for the Astros. The writing on the wall suggested that he was moving on from Houston and that ended up being the case.

In February, he agreed to a deal to join the Detroit Tigers to form a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation with Tarik Skubal.

It was clear that Astros general manager Dana Brown was comfortable with Hunter Brown taking the reins at the top of his rotation in 2026. The only question was who was going to slot in behind him.

Before Valdez signed with the Tigers, Dana Brown found his replacement in Houston by signing Japanese star Tatsuya Imai to a three-year, $54 million contract.

The headliner of the rotation this season will be Hunter Brown and Jeff Passan of ESPN had one thing that wouldn’t surprise him for every team and for the Astros, his was for Hunter Brown to accomplish something that would surprise many this summer.

Hunter Brown Prediction for 2026 Should Excite Astros Fans

Passan’s one thing that wouldn’t surprise him about every team is what feels like it’s another way for him, making a prediction. Regardless, he wouldn’t be surprised if Hunter Brown led the American League in strikeouts in 2026.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if … Hunter Brown leads MLB in strikeouts, which is quite impressive for a pitcher in the same league as (Garrett) Crochet and Skubal. But among Brown’s two jet-fuel fastballs, a cutter he could stand to use a little more and a wipeout curveball, he is approaching legitimate-ace territory. His emergence allowed the Astros to lose Valdez to Detroit in free agency and not have to worry about who would start Opening Day,” Passan wrote.

That certainly is a take by Passan. However, a quick dive into last season’s stats shows that it is certainly possible if Hunter Brown stays healthy. Crochet led the American League with 255 and Skubal was second with 241. Hunter Brown was third with 206. Sure, he was 49 behind Crochet, but anything is possible in a new season.

The 27-year-old is coming off a career year for Houston in 2025. He had a 6.1 WAR with a 12-9 record in 30 starts with a 2.43 ERA in 185.1 innings. Houston’s starting staff behind Hunter Brown has potential, but is it going to be good enough to compete with the Seattle Mariners, who overtook the Astros for the division last September?

If they do, Hunter Brown needs to stay healthy and have another strong summer for manager Joe Espada.