"It's amazing the Astros can backfill their rotation with a guy like Hunter Brown" - MLB Network analyst lauds Houston Astros pitching depth after Lance McCullers Jr injury

Hunter Brown was not a name that many fans associated with the Houston Astros rotation in 2022. But now the rotation, widely recognized as the best in the American League last season, has changed drastically quite quickly.

First came the departure of Justin Verlander, who amassed an ERA of 1.75 and a record of 18-4, which was enough for him to be crowned the AL Cy Young Award winner for the third time in his career. Following his World Series win, he signed a record-tying deal with the New York Mets.

Apart from Verlander's departure, there is another starting arm whose future with the Astros seems quite uncertain. This week, Astros manager Dusty Baker announced that starter Lance McCullers Jr. has been temporarily shut down from throwing. An injury-plagued season in 2022 limited McCullers to only 8 starts with the Astros.

So, who can replace the hole in the rotation left by both Verlander and McCullers?

Enter Hunter Brown, a 24-year old right-hander and a 2019 5th round Houston Astros draft pick. Following Baker's comments regarding McCullers, it was also announced that Brown would be named as the starting pitcher for the team.

Speaking on MLB Network radio, analyst Jeff Joyce lauded Brown's arrival to the rotation and eluded the fact that although he will likely be the 5th arm in the rotation, he might be a top pitcher on a weaker team.

He said:

"It's amazing the Astros can backfill their rotation with a guy like Hunter Brown."

"Lance is down, enter Hunter Brown. Born: '98. Throws: 98. Projected K's: More than 98." - @ MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM

Hunter Brown spent most of last season with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys in Triple-A, where he pitched 106 innings between a starting role in the bullpen. He finished his year in Triple-A with a record of 9-4 and an ERA of 2.55.

Brown also made a pair of starts and seven relief appearances for the Houston Astros in 2022. On September 1st, he threw 6 innings of shutout baseball against the Texas Rangers.

The player finished his 9-appearance rookie season with 2 earned runs allowed over 20 innings, giving the Michigan-native an ERA of just 0.89.

"It's Hunter Brown SZN." - @ astros memes

Hunter Brown has a chance to star on one of baseball's strongest pitching teams

The Houston Astros had a team ERA of 2.90, the lowest in the AL and .4 of a point lower than the New York Yankees, the next-best team. He will be able to pitch alongside star arms like Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier.

Although the team may not be able to replace Justin Verlander, Brown is certainly a good start.