Astros’ Hunter Brown’s Catching Dreams Didn’t Pan Out But He’s Done OK

Hunter Brown’s childhood dream was to be the Detroit Tigers’ starting catcher.

“I’ll always be a catcher at heart,” said Brown, who grew up in the Detroit Metro area and played collegiately at Division II Wayne State in the city.

That dream did not come to fruition. Yet Brown’s baseball career is turning out quite well.

Brown is an All-Star right-handed pitcher and, along with left-hander Framber Valdez, one of the anchors of the Houston Astros’ starting rotation. Brown not only earned his first All-Star Game selection this season but has also played a significant role in the Astros’ first-place standing in the American League West, leading by 1 1/2 games over the Seattle Mariners.

Native Son Hunter Brown Got Away From Tigers

The Tigers rue that Brown got away. The Astros selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 amateur draft.

Six years later, the subject came up earlier this season when Astros manager Joe Espada had a conversation with Pirates bench coach Gene Lamont before a game in Pittsburgh. Lamont was a long-time member of the Tigers’ coaching staff.

“It is like a topic of conversation (with the Tigers),” Espada said with a smile. “I’m just happy Hunter is on our side. I’m glad we’re not facing him.”

Brown is indeed one of the most difficult pitchers to face in the major leagues. The 26-year-old has a 10-5 record with a 2.36 ERA in 25 starts and has 170 strikeouts in 149 innings, going into his start on Tuesday night against the visiting Colorado Rockies at Daikin Park.

Brown’s ERA is second in the AL to the 2.28 of Tigers ace and reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Imagine Skubal and Brown in the same Detroit rotation? Or Brown catching Skubal?

Hunter Brown Liked Catching More Than Pitching

While it’s fun to think about, Brown has moved on from his dreams of being a catcher. However, he wasn’t sure how pitching would work out when he arrived at Wayne State.

“I threw 86-88 (mph), but I wasn’t anything special,” Brown said.

However, Brown added velocity in college and began complementing it with other pitches. Now, he is a dominant major-league starter, though the humble Brown is hesitant to put himself in that category.

“I’ve learned how to do a better job of preparing for starts, both physically and mentally, but there are a lot of reasons why I’ve had success that are not just because of me,” Brown said when asked about his stellar 2025 season. “We’ve got great leadership in this clubhouse. My catchers are doing a great job leading me in the games so that I can have some good performances. And we just have an all-round talented team that I’m fortunate to be part of.”

Espada was the Astros’ bench coach when Brown reached the major leagues in 2022, then replaced the retiring Dusty Baker as manager two years later. So, Espada has watched Brown’s rise.

Brown was part of the Astros’ run to the World Series title in 2022. He pitched 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings, albeit in a low-leverage relief role.

This year, Brown is playing a key role in the Astros’ attempt to win their eighth division title in the last nine years and extend their streak of consecutive postseason appearances to nine.

“He brings so much to the table, and watching him develop into the pitcher he is today has been a pleasure and a testament to the work he’s put in,” Espada said.

Hunter Browns Turns Career Around

Brown had a terrible start to last season, going 0-4 with a 9.78 ERA in his first six starts. That included a disastrous outing against the Kansas City Royals, in which he gave up nine runs and 11 hits in 2/3 of an inning.

Considering Brown had a shaky first full major-league season in 2023 when he was 11-13 with a 5.09 ERA in 31 games, leaving some wondering if Brown should move to the bullpen.

Brown then went 11-5 with a 2.51 ERA in his final 25 starts in 2024. In 50 starts since May 5, 2024, Brown has a 21-10 record and a 2.43 ERA.

“I kind of started leaning into the things that I do well, staying in my strengths,” Brown said about the key to his turnaround. “I started throwing the sinker more and trying not to be so breaking ball heavy. Just typical stuff that makes a good pitcher – trying to limit walks, trying to get the leadoff guy out, staying ahead in the count.

“Basically, I just did stuff to put me in the position to be the most successful, and I’ve been able to become consistent with it,” Hunter Brown added.