Houston Astros: 3 replacements for Justin Verlander

No.3 Houston Astros replacement: Do Nothing

That’s right, the Houston Astros could literally just sit back and do absolutely nothing. They would still have a top-10 rotation even without Verlander. Should their players take steps forward, it could even be top-5. We saw how dominant Framber Valdez is in 2022 during the regular season and postseason.

He went 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA, 201.1 innings, 194 strikeouts, 3.06 FIP, and three complete games with a shutout. He’s just a dominant pitcher that’s only 28. Valdez is ready to lead the rotation. Meanwhile, a 2-4 trio of Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia, and Cristan Javier would be downright nasty. After all, Javier only had two combined No-Hitters last year. McCullers Jr. came back from an elbow injury looking like nothing changed. He had 50 stirkeouts in 47.2 innings with a 3.49 FIP and 2.27 ERA. Safe to say that he didn’t lose any skills during his rehab.

Garcia had 157.1 innings with 15 wins, 157 stirkeouts, and a 3.72 ERA. Plus, Javier had a 2.54 ERA with 148.2 innings, 194 strikeouts, and only 89 hits allowed. Throw in a quality No.5 pitcher in Jose Urquidy who quietly went 13-8 with a 3.94 ERA, 164.1 innings, 134 strikeouts, and only 38 walks. Although I think he’s better suited for the bullpen, the Astros have a ready made replacement for him in No.1 prospect Hunter Brown.

Over his seven games last year, including two starts, Brown went 2-0 with a 0.89 ERA, 20.1 innings, 22 strikeouts, and only seven walks. He was dominant in that tiny stretch and is only 23-years-old. Brown’s the hopeful No.1 ace pitcher of the future for the Astros. A top-100 prospect, Hunter Brown could be the latest elite starter that the Astros helped mold through their minor league system.

I don’t know of many teams that could beat a rotation whose highest ERA from 2022 was a mere 3.72 or 3.94 depending on if Urquidy is in the rotation. Perhaps, the Astros should use the Verlander savings to spend on an outfielder and catcher.