Hunter Brown has been a bona fide ace for Astros in the second half (no, seriously)

Most Houston Astros fans would consider Framber Valdez to be the ace of their staff, and with good reason. He has a 2.91 ERA in 26 starts and is capable of throwing a no-hitter on any given night. But having multiple front-line options is never a bad thing, and the Astros have seen another potential ace start to emerge in 2024 in the form of Hunter Brown.

Brown had an excellent first half of 2023 before fatigue set in and he faltered after the All-Star break. The righty didn't exactly impress to the start the 2024 season, either and some wondered if he would ever reach his lofty ceiling due to command issues. Perhaps he'd even be forced into the bullpen.

However, Brown started to turn things around as the weather began warming up and now, with just a couple weeks left in the regular season, he has turned into one of the best pitchers in baseball as we approach the postseason.

Hunter Brown's turnaround in 2024 has given Astros another ace heading into the playoffs

Too often, the term "ace" is thrown around too lightly. The number of guys that can actually lay claim to that title might be a dozen or so deep across all of baseball. Also, things can change quickly, as a pitcher can be dominant for a stretch before returning to earth. However, there is no denying that what Brown has been able to do in the second half for Houston at least temporarily qualifies him for the distinction.

When looking only at the second half of 2024, the top four pitchers by fWAR are some familiar names. Chris Sale tops the list with 2.7 fWAR, and he seems to be a lock to win the NL Cy Young this season. Valdez comes in second with his 1.79 post-All-Star ERA and, again, no surprises there. Blake Snell and Tarik Skubal are the next two on the list, with Snell being famously awesome since a rocky start and Skubal the likely AL Cy Young in 2024.

However, Brown is functionally tied with Paul Skenes just behind that quartet, thanks to his 2.26 ERA and 2.62 FIP in 10 starts after the All-Star break. He is striking out 9.5 batters per nine while walking just 2.72 batters per nine during this stretch. Brown has simply been incredible for the Astros and hasn't gotten nearly enough credit for it.

Has Brown been perfect? No, and his recent start against Oakland was an example of that. There are going to be growing pains at times, as he is still learning his craft. However, Brown's emergence this season gives the Astros arguably the scariest rotation to face in the playoffs in 2024, which could pay huge dividends for them very, very soon.

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