The Houston Astros didn't make the playoffs, but during the 2025 season, they saw Hunter Brown, in just his third full season as a starter, emerge as one of the best in the MLB.
Brown's breakout 2025 season has him as an AL Cy Young finalist. While he'll likely finish behind Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet in voting, his top-three finish is a massive individual accomplishment.
But, as Darragh McDonald of mlbtraderumors.com points out, this top-three finish for Brown is also incredible news for the Astros. Not for the fact that they have an elite pitcher, but for what this finish does for the team's picks in the 2026 MLB draft.
How Hunter Brown's Cy Young finish is a massive boost to the Astros' 2026 MLB draft
The Astros ace is a top-three finalist for the AL Cy Young award in his third full season, his final year before arbitration. This nod for Brown is huge, as it will give the Astros a draft pick in the upcoming 2026 MLB draft.
"Since Brown was eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive," McDonald writes, "the Astors will receive an extra pick after the first round of the 2026 draft."
In the 2022-2026 collective bargaining agreement, in an effort to reduce service time manipulation, teams will receive a draft pick if a player meets a few specific requirements.
If a player is on two of the three top 100 prospect lists from Baseball America, ESPN, and MLB Pipeline, is in their pre-arbitration seasons, and is called up early enough to be eligible for a full service year, and then finishes as the Rookie of the Year or is top-three in MVP or Cy Young voting, then their team would land an extra draft pick.
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For Houston, Brown is in the third and final pre-arbitration season, and finished as a top-three Cy Young finalist in the American League. Thanks to the Browns' breakout season, the Astros are landing an extra draft pick after the first round in the 2026 MLB draft.
With Brown officially a finalist for the Cy Young, Houston and Dana Brown land an extra draft pick. It's a huge boost for Houston, as the team's farm system has been in a rough spot in recent years.
Not only did Brown emerge as one of the best pitchers in baseball, with a 2.43 ERA in 31 starts with 206 strikeouts and a 172 ERA+, but the Astros also land a much-needed high draft pick in the 2026 MLB draft thanks to his top-three AL Cy Young finish.
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