The Houston Astros just missed out on the playoffs last season after finishing with an 87-75 record. With some upgrades this offseason, it sounds like manager Joe Espada is excited for the 2026 campaign. Especially regarding the starting rotation, even with Framber Valdez gone.
Espada, who is 50 years old, likes what he is seeing from his starting pitchers days before the start of spring training, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. He claims that the Astros' starting rotation is loaded with guys who are big and can throw the ball hard.
“There's a bunch of big dudes, and they throw really hard, and they've got some really good stuff,” said Espada.
Houston's starting rotation could consist of Hunter Brown, Brandon Walter, Jason Alexander, Spencer Arrighetti, and Lance McCullers Jr. All of whom are over six feet tall. However, newly signed Tatsuya Imai, who is set to begin his MLB career at 27 years old after playing in Japan, could be part of the rotation as well.
The Astros had a solid starting rotation in 2025, and Joe Espada hopes for much of the same in 2026. Last season, Houston ended amongst the top in the league in several categories. They were tied fifth-best in batting average against (.232) and were tied 12th-best in average earned runs per game (3.88). Additionally, the club ranked No. 2 in strikeouts with 1,504, which was just one less than the No. 1-ranked Los Angeles Dodgers.
Pitching is likely to be a strong suit for the Astros once again, which is something the team can lean on throughout the 2026 campaign. We'll get a first glimpse of what to expect on the mound on February 21, when Houston takes on the Washington Nationals in their first spring training game.
