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The Houston Astros are one of the few teams in Major League Baseball who can boast that they have two legitimate aces on their pitching staff. Both Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have been outstanding this season, and are one of the biggest reasons that Houston is in position to return to the MLB Postseason for the ninth consecutive season.
But Brown's outstanding season could offer Houston even bigger benefits thanks to MLB's Player Promotion Incentive (PPI). For those who are unaware, the PPI offers teams the opportunity to collect an additional draft pick based on how certain players perform during their first three seasons in the major leagues.
In the case of Brown, the Astros could pick up an extra pick in the 2026 MLB Draft if the hurler finished among the top-3 finalists for this year's American League Cy Young Award. At the moment, that seems very attainable.
Astros are quietly about to score a surprising draft day gift thanks to Hunter Brown
On the season, Brown is 10-6 with a 2.37 ERA in 26 starts with 177 punch outs over 155⅔ innings of work. Those are tremendous numbers to be sure, but Brown is unlikely to catch the Tigers' ace in the race for the 2025 AL Cy Young Award. Tarik Skubal, who's looking to become a repeat winner of the award, is 11-4 with a 2.28 ERA and 212 strikeouts while covering 166 innings this season.
Most outlets have Skubal and Brown in the top-3, and Boston Red Sox starter Garrett Crochet is receiving some publicity as well. Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi may have been the only contender who could've shaken up the Cy Young race, but he's now been shutdown for the season with a rotator cuff strain.
In order to receive a PPI pick, a player must've been viewed as a top-100 prospect prior to his MLB debut. In 2023, Brown was considered a top-50 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The player then must accrue a year's worth of service time as a rookie. Finally, that player has to win the Rookie of the Year Award or place in the top-3 for either the MVP or Cy Young Award. If Brown indeed places among the top-3 for the AL's top pitching honors this season, he'll check all three boxes
Houston's draft pick will come after Round 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft, meaning that the Astros will get some added bonus pool money and the opportunity to add another top-end prospect next summer. Astros fans will soon be thanking Hunter (and GM Dana Brown).