Astros starter Framber Valdez is quietly delivering a Cy Young case no one’s noticing

The Houston Astros have been chugging along, despite injuries and some glaring holes, emerging as one of the American League's top contenders. The biggest story of the season is the breakout success of AL Cy Young frontrunner, Hunter Brown. But as Brown continues to dominate and dazzle, another Astro hurler is quietly authoring a Cy Young caliber season of his own off in the shadows.

Framber Valdez is the second half of the best top-of-the-rotation duo in baseball, and on any other team, he'd be getting some real Cy Young love. The 31-year-old southpaw might not have the flash of Brown or fellow top contenders like Tarik Skubal or Max Fried, but he's shown he can be every bit as dominant.

Look no further than Valdez's June 29 performance in the rubber match against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs' fearsome lineup ranks second in the league in runs scored through July 1, while also ranking fourth in team OPS (.772), and fourth in homers (125). Led by old friend Kyle Tucker, the Cubs' lineup is not to be trifled with.

Yet Valdez and his turbo sinker reduced the Cubs' roars to mere whimpers, tossing six shutout innings and allowing just five hits and two walks while only allowing one runner past second. That performance capped off a dominant June for Valdez in which he posted a 1.74 ERA to bring his mark down to 2.72 on the season. That scorching June followed a stellar May in which he recorded a 2.36 ERA.

Astros star pitcher Framber Valdez is tossing his name in the AL Cy Young race, and making a lot of money in the process

After a 4.00 ERA in the season's first month, Valdez has been absolutely dominant. His ERA among American League qualified starters since May 1 ranks fifth, at 2.10, behind Jacob DeGrom (1.84), Tarik Skubal (2.06), Yusei Kikuchi, and Hunter Brown (both at 2.07. His FIP in that time period (2.66) is better than all of those aforementioned pitchers, except for Skubal (1.77).

That slow start has masked just how much Valdez has been rolling recently, and he smart money is on his performance continuing. As some of his competition for the prestigious award see their unsustainably hot starts come to an end, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the chatter about his Cy Young candidacy grow as the dog days of summer hit.

For the Astros, that's a bittersweet development. The pitching staff has been the driving force behind the club's surge to the top of the American League, and Valdez and Brown are the major reasons why. On the flipside, each dominant outing puts the league on notice and highlights what Astros fans already know about Valdez -- the man is a true ace.

As a free-agent-to-be, he's driving up his price tag with each stellar start, and taking home a Cy Young trophy to cap off the year will help him break through to a new contract stratosphere. Max Fried's eight-year, $218 million mega-deal last offseason seems as good a comp as any, and ultimately, the bidding will arrive at a point that is too rich for the Astros' blood after they failed to extend one of the best lefties in baseball.

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