Astros Top 3 Starters = A Division Winner?

The Law Firm of Brown, Burrows and Imai!

We are so Back!

The Houston Astros enter the season unlike any other in quite sometime. Astros fans don’t need a reminder of missing the Postseason in 2025. Also with a looming work stoppage and the CBA agreement set to expire Dec of this year. The time is NOW. What is one of the most effective ways to win in baseball. Pitching. The Astros have quietly put together a Top 3 rotation with a solid back end and a ton reinforcements to catapult themselves into the discussion when it comes to taking back the AL West Crown.

The Law Firm of Brown, Burrows and Imai

These three pitchers have been outstanding this Spring, chronicled very eloquently by Apollo Media on X! The Graphic is top notch much like the pitchers crushing it in Spring Training.

• Hunter Brown: 8.2IP / 2H / 1ER / 14K

• Tatsuya Imai: 6IP / 2H / 0ER / 7K

• Mike Burrows: 8.2IP / 3H / 0ER / 10K

Hunter “Diesel” Brown

Hunter Brown has looked sharp, and appears to already be in mid season form. His place in the AL power pitcher Rankings seems to only grow with time. He is looking to have an even better season, and there’s no reason to think he can’t top 2025. He has more and more reinforcements than ever. Not to mention a top 3 that sees 2 new names on it that are new additions to the 2026 Roster. If you have been following social media much a new X account has been launched called Pitcher List. Take a look at Hunter Brown’s Card from his last start:

Now you would have to follow them for a full explanation of their scoring system, but an A has always been a top grade. Hunter Brown is very confident in who he is, what he can accomplish as well the command of the pitches he throws. His arsenal includes a nasty slider, Curveball, change up and Four seam Fastball. His usage of these pitches and how he is able to dial up the speed make him a clear Top 3 pitcher in the American League.

Tatsuya Imai: The Swing and Miss Samurai.

There was a TON of talk about Iami being one of the most sought after free agents in MLB, well that was until the Houston Astros signed him. Just search his name and look at all the doubters once he put on the dreaded orange and blue. The copium was and still is palpable. Tatsuya has a ton of ?’s, not because his talent is in doubt, and there are a few things to factor in here. A new country, the game is different, the baseball is not the same, the way catchers call games, the pressure and of course the dreaded word “EXPECTATION”.

All in all he has handled it quite well. His most recent start he went out and touched 98.4 on the radar gun as well induced swings and misses. In his most recent pitchers list card you can see his results:

I mean we could look at score cards all day, but what does Imai think of the job he did this last time out? He has been going through a trial and error approach. He says the mound is a different height than what he is used to. He also has adjusted where he stands on the pitching rubber as well. He got into a grove and pitched very well. On his previous outing he produced an 86% whiff rate with his reverse slider. It ‘s what we in baseball call a unicorn pitch, that most hitters are going to struggle with especially right handers.

Imai was also asked about his confidence going into the season and how he’s pitched. “I don’t associate how well I did on the mound with confidence level. It comes more from wether or not I would pitch the way I want to, the way I come set, and what I would like to do.” Imai’s interpreter said after his most recent outing.

I have contended that Tatsuya Imai will be the Astros #3 starter behind Mike Burrows. Some of that is due to his newness to MLB, and in the end in a postseason scenario he very well could be a #2 starter.

Mike Burrows: A Problem for Opponents

When you hear the phrase “Man, he pulled the string on them.” You are probably watching or listening to one of Mike Burrows Spring Training outings for the Houston Astros, or you could be thinking back to 2025 when he faced the Astros while in a Pirates uniform and carved up the starting lineup that day.

Going back to see where he came from, Burrows was selected by Pittsburgh in the 11th round of the 2018 draft, Burrows’ path to the big leagues took a detour after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. He briefly reached the majors in 2024 with a single appearance, then logged a larger role last season with 23 outings (19 starts). Because of what the Astros saw, and how he has performed this spring, I would say Mike Burrows comes as advertised and even better according to most estimations.

I am not the only one saying that Mike Burrows is the real deal. This just furthers my case for him to be the number 2.

Who pitches where, and why it doesn’t matter….Right NOW!

Avid baseball fans are aware that a number 1 guy or number 3 guy isn’t all that important outside of who the Ace is of each club. Where the rubber meets the road is when you get into the post season. For the Astros making it to the Post season is their Top priority after clinching the A.L. West. During the season the Astros early on will go with a 6 man rotation. To add to the arsenal, they will also have pitchers coming off surgery recovery who could actually contribute, not to mention a stack of arms in AAA Sugar Land.

Time will tell who pitches when, one thing we do know is this the Astros Top 3 are going to be GREAT granted they stay healthy, perform up to expectations and go out and dominate opposing lineups. I have not talked once about the other starting pitchers for a reason, they are the middle or back end rotation guys in my book. I do look forward to tackling Spencer Arrighetti, Ryan Weiss (who I think has a real shot at making the rotation), Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers, Jr. (who’s not looked bad this spring), and Aj Blubaugh. We will save that for my next installment.

Please check out my two podcast, Back to the Bullpen on the Locked on MLB Youtube Channel where Mike Stanton and I tackle the league, as well Locked on Astros as Eric and I go into our 7th season together on the most listened to Astros podcast on the planet!