The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce the finalists for the 2025 awards tonight. astros right-hander Hunter Brown Was one of the American League Cy Young finalists, with Tarik Skubal Tigers and Garrett Crochet of the Red Sox. Since Brown is eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive, the Astros will receive an additional pick after the first round of the 2026 draft.
The 2022-2026 collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLBPA introduces measures to try to reduce pitch-time manipulation. Previously, teams would typically keep their top prospects in the minor leagues until a few weeks into the season, giving the club an extra year of control over the player.
Under the new CBA rules, a player who appears on two of Baseball America, ESPN and MLB Pipeline’s three top-100 prospect lists is eligible for PPI if his club promotes him early in a season to get a full service year. If a player wins Rookie of the Year or finishes in the top three in Cy Young or MVP voting in the pre-arbitration season, he will earn an additional draft pick for the club. Each player can only earn one additional draft pick for the club.
Brown was called up to the majors at the end of 2022 but remained a rookie next season, occupying a prominent spot on the popular rookie list. The Astros haven’t optioned him to the minors since then, so he’s been a mainstay on their roster for the past three full seasons.
He has been PPI eligible for the past three years, but he did not receive any award votes in 2023 or 2024. In 2025, he made 31 starts and 185 1/3 innings for Houston. He allowed just 2.43 points per nine. His 28.3% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 48.1% ground ball rate were all above average.
He might finish third in the voting, behind Skubal and Crochet, but that would be enough to give the Astros a bonus draft pick in 2026. This is a nice bonus for them, as the club’s farm system isn’t particularly well regarded at the moment.
Julio Rodriguez, Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson Each received bonus draft picks from the club by winning Rookie of the Year. Bobby Witt Jr. While not winning Rookie of the Year, finishing in the top three in the 2024 MVP voting earned the Royals an extra draft pick. Derek Baldwin is a finalist for National League Rookie of the Year in 2025 and could earn Atlanta an additional draft pick if he ultimately wins the award.
Photos courtesy of William Purnell, Imagn Images
