WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Houston Astros wasted no time making their biggest pitching decision of the spring, announcing on the first day of camp that Hunter Brown will start Opening Day against the Los Angeles Angels on March 26 at Daikin Park.
Manager Joe Espada pulled Brown aside just seconds after the right-hander arrived at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on Monday afternoon, calling him into his office before he could even begin his first workout.
“I was in the building for like 20 seconds, and I was like, ‘Man, how did I manage to already upset the manager?’” Brown joked.
Instead, Espada delivered the news every pitcher hopes to hear: Brown would receive his first career Opening Day nod, ending Framber Valdez’s four-year run in the role. Valdez departed in free agency this winter, signing a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers.
“It’s really exciting,” Brown said. “It’s high praise, and it’s a big compliment coming from Joe. But the way you carry yourself day in and day out, the way you prepare, that kind of irons some of that stuff out. I expect it of myself to be a leader, so it’s not something that surprises me.”
Espada said he wanted to make the announcement early in camp to set the tone for the pitching staff and give younger arms a clear picture of who will lead the rotation.
“As a manager, I want to have that initial conversation with the guy and I want to see that reaction,” Espada said. “His reaction was genuine and he was very excited, and that matters. He got fired up and said, ‘Yo, thank you, I will not take this for granted.’”
A Breakout Season Earns the Honor
Brown earned the nod after a breakout 2025 season in which he finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting. The 27-year-old went 12–9 with a 2.43 ERA, 206 strikeouts, and a 1.025 WHIP across 185.1 innings in 31 starts, making his first All-Star appearance and ranking among league leaders in several key categories.
The Detroit native also authored one of the most dominant stretches in baseball last season, throwing 28 consecutive scoreless innings from April 3–28. He opened the year with seven straight quality starts, becoming the first pitcher to do so since Shane Bieber in 2021.
From Early Struggles to Staff Leader
Brown’s rise hasn’t come without adversity. After posting a 9.78 ERA in his first six starts of 2024, he added a sinker to his arsenal and transformed his season, going 11–5 with a 2.51 ERA over his final 25 appearances. His turnaround played a major role in Houston erasing a 10-game deficit to win the AL West.
Now nicknamed “The Diesel” for both his high-octane fastball and caffeine-fueled routine, Brown will anchor a revamped Astros rotation that includes newcomers Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows as Houston looks to return to the postseason after missing October for the first time since 2016.