Framber Valdez signed with the Houston Astros as an International Free Agent in 2015, and three years later he debuted for the club, which seems like the correct progression, but his initial signing at the age of 21 is older than normal than his Dominican counterparts.
Valdez needed time to find his confidence, and in the COVID-shortened 2020 year, he went 5-3 and was 11th in Cy Young voting. He continued to grow his game in 2021 (11-6), but truly broke out in 2022, earning his first All-Star, with a 17-6 record, 2.82 ERA and was the league-leader in Innings Pitched (201.1). Valdez finished fifth for the Cy Young that year, but more importantly, went 3-0 in the playoffs and helped Houston win the World Series.
He built on that with a ninth-place Cy Young finish (12-11, 200 SO) and a second All-Star, and last year was ninth in balloting (15-7, 2.91 ERA).
Valdez enters this year still in his peak, and with a three-year streak of top ten Cy Young finishes.
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