Bud Norris Reflects on Astros’ New Ace Hunter Brown Ahead of Opening Day

As Opening Day approaches, former Astros pitcher Bud Norris, who himself was the Opening Day starter for Houston in 2013, shared his insights on the team’s new ace, Hunter Brown. Norris, who made history during his tenure with the Astros, expressed his enthusiasm about Brown taking the mound as the team’s number one starter this season.

In a recent conversation at the Crawfish Boxes, Norris articulated the significance of being named the ace of a staff. “It goes without saying, that it’s a huge honor,” he said. “You can only nominate one guy for Opening Day and there’s only 30 teams in baseball. It’s an opportunity to showcase yourself to your team and the fans. Hunter has earned that.” Norris emphasized that this moment is the culmination of years of hard work, from high school and college to minor league play, all leading up to this special day.

When discussing what makes Brown’s pitching so effective, Norris highlighted the young pitcher’s physical presence and skill set. “He’s a big figure out there. He’s 6’5”, has an over-the-top motion and he gets really good angles which makes his breaking pitches that much better,” Norris explained. He noted that while Brown has shown dominance at times, there were instances where he ran deep into counts, indicating a need for balance. “I like the way he attacks the strike zone. He might have been trying to be a little too perfect in spots,” Norris added.

Norris also reflected on Brown’s development over the past year, praising his ability to pitch deep into games. “Every time he went out there last season, he gave his team five, six, seven, eight innings or more. He had a workhorse mentality,” he said. With the responsibility of being a front-line starter now resting on Brown’s shoulders, Norris believes he is well-equipped for the challenge. “You have to be durable, reliable, consistent and try to eclipse 200 innings and 30 starts. He’s the right guy to do that and lead the younger rotation this year. He’s going to have a really big year. I wouldn’t dwell on the walks; I would focus on the nine K’s,” Norris remarked, underscoring Brown’s potential for success.

During his own career with the Astros, Norris made 30 starts in 2013, finishing with a total of 67 wins and 1,153 strikeouts, marking him as a key figure in the franchise’s history. Now, as he watches Brown step into the spotlight, Norris’s pride in the organization and its new ace is palpable.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.