Houston Astros Depth, Talent Helps Boost Their First-Half Season Grades

The Houston Astros have reached the season’s midway point after a red-hot June in which they are 17-6 and lead the AL West by six games over the Seattle Mariners. 

There are 81 games to go for the 48-33 Astros and there are clear areas where they are thriving and areas that need work if they want to be true contenders for the postseason.

Here are the Astros’ first-half grades.

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The only major hitting category in which the Astros are in the Top 10 in MLB is batting average (5th) at .255. The rest of their slash (on-base and slugging percentage) sit barely in the Top 15 with a .321 and a .399. 

The offense needs work in driving in runs, where they are No. 20 in RBI with 322.

Issac Paredes and Jeremy Peña are contributing all over the place. They’re the only two players on the team with an OPS over .800 and have combined for 86 of the team’s RBI.

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Houston’s rotation is led by Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez who have combined for 32 of the 81 starts for the Astros (16 a piece). Both have eight wins, most on the team, and they have both thrown a complete game.

Brown has an AL-best 1.74 ERA and several statistics that are best on the team. His 0.89 WHIP is lowest on the team and he leads Houston with 118 strikeouts.

Valdez has a 2.88 ERA with 102 strikeouts, both second best to Brown. The left-hander has allowed just six home runs and is holding hitters to a .214 batting average.

Ryan Gusto has been a pleasant surprise, as he’s filled in due to injuries. He’s 5-3 in 11 starts. Batters are hitting .272 against him and he has a 4.62 ERA.

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Josh Hader has returned to the ranks of elite closers with 21 saves in 21 chances, a 5-1 record and a 1.73 ERA. He has 56 strikeouts, has allowed 19 hits and seven walks.

Bryan Abreu has stepped in as a set-up man and posted a 1.72 ERA with 53 strikeouts. He is 3-3 and has allowed just 24 hits.

Bryan King is 3-1 with a 3.18 ERA. He has 38 strikeouts in 34 innings.

Houston has other relievers with more than 30 innings pitched and the Astros are posting comparable numbers in support of Hader in the ninth inning.

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With the amount of pitchers the Astros have on the injury list, it’s impressive how solid they have been all year. 

Houston hopes to have Spencer Arrighetti, Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier back at some point this year, with Javier throwing 95. mph fastballs in a recent batting practice. Arrighetti could be back after the All-Star break.

Houston has missed Yordan Alvarez since the beginning of May and it’s clear the Astros miss their designated hitter. Their offense is looking for help, especially on the road. 

The Astros are becoming really difficult to beat, led by the 1-2 punch in their starting rotation. If Houston is able to get Alvarez back and productive, Houston could be on its way to another division title.

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