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Hunter Brown 2023 MLB Player Outlook: Ready To Step In
A decade ago, the Houston Astros began a rebuild with early draft picks that brought in high-profile talent. The organization has had to rely on developing players from later in the draft since becoming a perennial contender. Hunter Brown was a fifth-round pick in 2019 out of Wayne State University in Michigan that came back after the missed 2020 season with a vengeance, making short work of Houston's upper-level clubs. He dominated in Triple-A to open the 2022 season before getting a late call to the majors for the stretch run, and he showed that he would be ready to join the rotation when Justin Verlander left in free agency. Brown utilized a fastball that averaged 97 MPH to head a five-pitch mix. Brown's low-90s slider and low-80s curve help him reduce weak contact. While it was a 20-inning sample, the righty could hold hitters to a below-average barrel rate and a significantly lower launch angle than the league average. The Astros may employ a six-man rotation to manage innings among their starting rotation. Still, there's plenty of injury risk among their front five, and Brown will be ready to take one of the starting roles with one of the best offenses in baseball to support him in putting up substantial fantasy numbers. ATC projects Brown with a 3.45 ERA, 3.49 FIP, and a 9.44 K:9 across 102 innings in 2023. The Astros right-hander is a high-upside pick at his current NFBC ADP of 259.
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