The Houston Astros are coming off of yet another AL West title despite finishing the season with a relatively disappointing 88-73 record relative to their lofty expectations. Now, they are looking to back it up with another division title in 2025.
The Astros will get that quest underway on March 27 when they open their season against the New York Mets. When they take on the defending National League runners-up, Houston will have a familiar face on the mound. Framber Valdez will start on Opening Day for the Astros for the fourth year in a row, according to the team in a social media post.
It comes as no surprise that the Astros are riding with their ace once again, especially against such a formidable opponent to start off the season. The Dominican left-hander has really taken a step forward over the last three seasons and has become one of the top players in the American League.
Valdez led the American League in innings pitched in 2022 and was selected as an All-Star in both 2022 and 2023. Last season, Valdez only made 28 starts but still posted a very strong 2.91 ERA with 169 strikeouts and 55 walks.
Valdez’s 176.1 innings last season were his lowest over the last three years, so the Astros will be relying on him to be a workhorse once again in 2025. Behind him, Houston will lean on Hunter Brown and Ronel Blanco to get a majority of the starts on the bump.
Valdez and the Astros will be eager to get the nasty taste out of their mouths from last season’s playoffs. Houston was upset by the wild card Detroit Tigers in a 2-0 sweep in the Wild Card Series in 2024 as Detroit made a Cinderella run over the back half of the season. Valdez has traditionally had a very strong playoff track record, so he will be a big part of that pursuit into the postseason again this season.
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