Hunter Brown Fantasy Stats

Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown has been named the team's Opening Day starter, manager Joe Espada told The Athletic's Chandler Rome. After a breakout 2025 campaign, Brown will be a must-start for fantasy managers in his Opening Day nod in a plus matchup against the Los Angeles Angels at home. The 27-year-old former fifth-rounder in 2019 out of Wayne State finished third in the American League Cy Young voting last year after going 12-9 with a career-best 2.43 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 206:57 K:BB in 185 1/3 innings pitched over 31 starts for the Astros. Brown was able to hold opponents to a .201 batting average with a six-pitch mix. He has a high floor because of his ability to neutralize both righties and lefties. Brown might struggle to improve on his 2025 numbers, but going into 2026 fantasy drafts, he should be considered a top-12 starting pitcher.

Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown broke out as an All-Star in 2025 in his fourth year in the big leagues, going 12-9 with a 2.43 ERA (3.14 FIP), 1.02 WHIP, and 206:57 K:BB in 31 starts over 185 1/3 innings pitched. The 27-year-old was essentially Houston's ace. The former fifth-round selection out of Wayne State has come a long way since he had a 5.09 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 155 2/3 innings in 2023 in his first year in the big leagues. Brown reached the illustrious 200-strikeout mark for the first time in his career, and opposing hitters batted a tick over .200 against him. Brown has the arsenal (six pitches) to keep batters off balance and continue to be successful in 2026, but fantasy managers shouldn't necessarily expect another ERA under 3.00. Keeping the ball in the yard was a big reason for his success last year, as he allowed just 0.8 home runs per nine innings. RotoBaller has Brown ranked as the No. 8 starting pitcher.

The Houston Astros and right-hander Hunter Brown agreed to a $5.71 million salary for 2026, avoiding arbitration, according to a source who spoke with Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Brown is coming off the best season of his young career. In 2025, he posted a 2.43 ERA (3.39 SIERA), a 28.3% strikeout rate, and a 1.03 WHIP across a career-high 185 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old Michigan native is entering the prime of his career, and that hasn't gone unnoticed in fantasy drafts. Over the past month, Brown has carried an ADP of 37, making him the seventh starting pitcher off the board. While some ERA regression is likely, given the gap between his ERA and SIERA, his strikeout ability, workload, and team context point to the fact that he should be a top-10 fantasy starter in 2026. Brown is worth his ADP.

Houston Astros ace right-hander Hunter Brown (11-7) earned his 11th win of the season with a lights-out performance against the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The Astros cruised to an 11-0 victory behind Brown, who threw six scoreless, four-hit innings and recorded eight strikeouts against three walks. The 27-year-old hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in a game since July 20 - an eight-start span - and has yielded just eight ER in 48 2/3 innings since July 26. Brown now boasts a 2.25 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP and 190:52 K:BB over 167 2/3 frames this season. He'll have a good chance to stay on a roll against a middling Atlanta Braves offense on Sept. 13.

The Houston Astros have made a notable change to their rotation for Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners. They'll start All-Star right-hander Hunter Brown instead of lefty Framber Valdez for the series finale, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Valdez was listed as the starter for Sunday when pitching probables came out Thursday. However, Astros manager Joe Espada said the team was always planning on starting Brown to give Valdez extra rest. The 31-year-old standout will toe the rubber early next week in a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

All-Star right-hander Hunter Brown is not part of the Houston Astros' weekend rotation plans for their road series against the division-rival Seattle Mariners. They'll go with left-hander Brandon Walter on Friday, righty Lance McCullers Jr. on Saturday, and southpaw Framber Valdez on Sunday versus a Cal Raleigh-led Seattle attack that ranks eighth in runs scored. The Mariners are fortunate to avoid Brown, who will presumably start Monday or Tuesday in Arizona. He and Valdez have been among the premier one-two punches in baseball this season. Brown has gone 9-4 with a 2.43 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, 137 strikeouts, and 34 walks in 115 innings. Meanwhile, Valdez was an All-Star snub after ending the first half of the campaign 10-4 with a 2.75 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and 125:41 K:BB across 121 frames. Valdez has been brilliant in a pair of Astros wins against the Mariners this year, yielding just one earned run on six hits with 13:5 K:BB over 12 innings.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown continued his impressive campaign during Thursday's outing against the Philadelphia Phillies. Brown was tough to hit as he allowed only three hits while recording nine strikeouts over seven innings of work. This marked the sixth straight start that Brown has allowed two earned runs or less in a start. The right-hander has also struck out nine batters or more in three of his last four starts. Brown will take his league-leading 1.74 ERA along with a 0.89 WHIP into his next start against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies offense has struggled this season, but playing in Coors Field is not always fun for pitchers.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown looked unhittable on the mound during Saturday's outing against the Minnesota Twins. Brown gave up a two-run home run to Brooks Lee, but was basically untouchable outside of that. He tossed seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out a career-high 12 batters in the no-decision. Brown has given up two earned runs or less in six of his last seven starts. He's currently scheduled to take the ball against the Athletics in his next start. Fantasy managers should make sure to get him in their lineups for that one.

Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown held the Cleveland Guardians to one run over 5 1/3 innings in a 5-3 victory on Saturday. Brown did not factor into the decision after the Astros blew a lead in the seventh inning, but it was nonetheless another effective start for the 26-year-old. While Brown did walk five hitters, tying his career-worst mark, he also struck out nine and yielded just four hits. Brown lowered his ERA to a stunning 1.82 on Saturday and has also amassed 93 strikeouts against 25 walks in 79 innings. He'll toe the rubber against the Minnesota Twins next Saturday. Brown threw six innings of two-run ball against the Twins in a 5-2 win on April 3.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown was tough to hit during Sunday's outing against the Tampa Bay Rays. Brown has been excellent lately giving up one earned run or fewer in three of his last four starts heading into Sunday's outing. The right-hander continued his excellent pitching with six shutout innings on Sunday. He allowed one hit, walked four batters, and struck out five in the win. Brown has been unbelievable this season and will take a 1.83 ERA into his next start versus the Cleveland Guardians.