2 Astros with most to prove in 2025 MLB season

The Houston Astros have plenty of uncertainty heading into 2025. Houston already traded Kyle Tucker away and Alex Bregman remains available in free agency. Sure, the Astros could look to improve the roster by adding outside additions. However, the roster already features a number of players with star potential.

Of course, Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez and Framber Valdez are already stars. There are two specific players who could emerge as stars, but need to prove it in 2025. Here are the two Astros with the most to prove during the upcoming campaign.

Jeremy Pena

Jeremy Pena caught the attention of the MLB world with a strong rookie season in 2022. He ended up finishing fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting and he earned a Gold Glove Award. Of course, the Astros won the World Series as well.

Fast forward to 2025 and Pena is fresh off back-to-back decent, albeit far from spectacular seasons. Pena looked like a future superstar in 2022, but he has yet to take the next step. At 27 years old, can Pena still become the star many thought he would become?

In 2024, the shortstop slashed just .266/.308/.394/.701 across 157 games played. He added 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases. It was not a terrible season, but Pena did not play up to his expectations. There were some encouraging trends, however.

According to Baseball Reference, Pena recorded the lowest strikeout percentage of his career (17.1 percent) and best hard-hit percentage of his career (39.1 percent). If these trends continue, perhaps Pena will take the next step in his career and establish himself as a star with the Astros.

Hunter Brown

Hunter Brown, a 26-year-old, enjoyed a respectable 2024 season. The starting pitcher had initially made his MLB debut in 2022, but appeared in only seven games. Houston gave him an opportunity in 2023, however, Brown struggled and finished the season with a 5.09 ERA. In 2024, though, Brown seemingly figured things out.

The starting pitcher recorded a 3.49 ERA in 31 appearances (30 starts). Brown added a career-high 197 strikeouts. He also saw his home run rate drop from 3.9 percent in 2023 to 2.5 percent in 2024. Perhaps the most encouraging statistic was that Brown recorded a career-best 30.3 hard-hit percentage.

The Astros feature a number of starting pitchers, per MLB.com. Brown should receive another big opportunity in 2025, though.