Hunter Brown just got well-deserved recognition in expert’s Cy Young predictions

One of the primary reasons that the Houston Astros have survived in the playoff race despite the defection of stars in the offseason and the onslaught of injuries throughout the year has been the leaps that some key players have taken in 2025.

While there are others on the roster who have improved dramatically, no one stands out more than Hunter Brown, who has evolved from a young starter with potential into one of the best pitchers in the game.

Brown's performance has garnered national attention, and the dominant right-hander was just named as a projected Cy Young finalist by The Athletic's Jim Bowden (subscription required).

Astros ace Hunter Brown given his due in Jim Bowden's AL awards predictions

Bowden ultimately predicts that Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers will take home the Cy Young hardware, which is a pick that should shock no one. He named Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet the runner-up, and in third place, he selected Hunter Brown, validating the 27-year-old's breakout.

Skubal is the reigning 2024 AL Cy Young winner and won the pitching Triple Crown last season, and has been every bit as dominant. Bowden noted Skubal's ridiculous 224 strikeouts to just 28 walks as one of the main justifications for the selection.

He's right. Despite Brown being one of the front-runners for the award for the entire 2025 season, Skubal's brilliance on the mound is just too tough to overcome. However, it is an honor to even be considered, and most of Brown's top competition for the honor has fallen by the wayside as the season has worn on.

Regardless of whether or not Brown wins the trophy once the actual voting happens, the hard-throwing right-hander has a lot to be proud of and has made his presence known on the national stage.

His 2.27 ERA on the season is just 0.01 off from Skubal's 2.26 mark, and his 192 strikeouts are good for third in the American League behind leader Garrett Crochet (240) and Skubal (224).

An argument can be made that Brown should leapfrog Crochet for the runner-up spot, as Houston's ace has a significant lead in ERA over the 2.63 mark the Boston lefty has put up this season. With that said, Crochet has made one more start than Brown to date, but logged 191.1 innings compared to 174.1 for the Astros ace.

If there's one area where Brown truly falls short in comparison to these two, it's in the walk department. Brown owns a 2.74 BB/9 versus 2.02 for Crochet and an unfathomably 1.37 mark for Skubal. That's certainly nitpicking, though, as 2.74 is still a respectable number, even if it's not totally elite.

In most years, Brown's performance would be enough to take home the honors, but it seems like as long as Skubal is healthy and pitching in the AL, the award will be his for the taking for the foreseeable future. And that's okay, because Hunter Brown has arrived as a bona fide ace, far exceeding anyone's wildest expectations for him entering the 2025 season.

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