The Houston Astros have named Framber Valdez as their Opening Day starting pitcher, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. Valdez and Houston will face Dylan Cease and the Chicago White Sox to open the 2023 campaign.

The Astros are fresh off a World Series victory and are looking to defend their championship this year. Houston's roster has some question marks entering the season, especially with Jose Altuve set to miss a significant amount of time after suffering an injury in the World Baseball Classic. Nevertheless, the Astros will remain confident heading into Opening Day.

Framber Valdez is a big reason behind that confidence.

Valdez has quietly emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past few seasons. He was solid in 2020 and 2021 before taking a major step forward during the 2022 season. Valdez made his first All-Star team in 2022 and finished the year with a superb 2.82 ERA over the course of a league-leading 201.1 innings pitched.

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The Astros are counting on Framber Valdez to step in and become a true ace with Justin Verlander now in New York with the Mets and Lance McCullers Jr. dealing with an injury.

It will be interesting to see how Houston fares this season. Losing Verlander is far from ideal, and Altuve's injury absence will certainly not help matters. Sluggers such as Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez will keep the offense afloat, while Framber Valdez will do all he can to lead the starting rotation. Additionally, Houston's bullpen still features an impressive core of relievers.

The Astros should still be in line for a steady performance in 2023.