The Bright Spots of the 2024 Astros
It hasn't been all bad, has it?
Introduction
It’s no secret that 2024 is off to a rough start for the Houston Astros.
Coming into the season, nobody, not the fans, not the players and not the management expected Houston to begin their season with a 6-14 record.
However, despite nearly everything going wrong, there have been a few bright spots this season for the Astros and we can only hope that these bright spots continue to shine and these dark moments in the Astros season so far will fade away.
Without further ado, let’s discuss the four best things for the Houston Astros in 2024.
1. Jose Altuve has MASHED
While it’s true that both Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have hit very well to begin 2024, along with decent efforts from other players like Yainer Diaz, Jeremy Pena, and Mauricio Dubon, nobody has batted quite as well as Jose Altuve has so far in 2024.
Sure, it’s a small sample size at 20 games, but Altuve has begun the season with a ten-game hitting streak, and an 18-game on-base streak. He currently has a .388 batting average, .462 On Base Percentage, and a .675 Slugging Percentage, good enough for a 1.137 OPS. His OPS+ is currently at a whopping 230.
Altuve leads the MLB in batting average and hits, and the American League in doubles and total bases.
One of the things that worries me personally is that the Astros usually succeed when Jose Altuve succeeds, and that just isn’t true this year.
Jose Altuve has had one of the best 20-game stretches in his career and the Astros aren’t winning. Nonetheless, we have seen some amazing hitting in the first few weeks of the 2024 season by Jose Altuve.
2. Ronel Blanco’s Breakout
One thing that many people probably did not predict three weeks into the season, the Astros would be 3-0 with Ronel Blanco starting and 3-14 with all other starters on the mound.
Ronel had one of the craziest weeks in baseball history, the same day he shut down the Sugar Land Space Cowboys and made the major league roster, his second child was born.
Around a week later, he pitched the Astros to their first win of 2024, throwing a two-walk no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays.
He then had another no-hit bid against the Texas Rangers where he’d finally give up his first hit of the 2024 season after 14.2 hitless innings.
His third start would also come against the Rangers this previous weekend. And while he gave up two runs in the first inning, he’d rebound, not giving up another run and going six strong and helping the Astros win the series finale against the Rangers.
While the Astros have not looked very good, especially in the starting pitching department, it could’ve been a lot worse had Ronel Blanco not made the roster on the last day of spring training.
3. The Astros have had decent success against the Rangers
Despite only having six wins so far, four have come against the Rangers.
The Astros have also had a very good offensive output against the Rangers in their last four games against them. During the Blair Henley game, the Astros would put up ten runs in a 10-5 win.
Four days later, after being swept by the Royals, the Astros would take two out of three against the Rangers. Even in their one loss of the series, they lost 12-8.
Their two wins came at scores of 9-2, and 8-5 on Saturday and Sunday respectively. So if there is one pitching staff that the Astros have hit well against so far this season, it’s their instate rival Rangers.
With the Astros unable to afford to lose any more ground, having the tiebreaker over the Rangers will be crucial come September, and while they obviously haven’t clinched the Silver Boot Series or the tiebreaker yet, they are definitely on track for that.
4. Air Yordan and King Tuck
While I already highlighted Altuve, I felt it would be unfair to not at least mention that Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have been hitting very well as well to begin 2024.
Yordan had started the season slowly at 3 for 24. After an amazing night against Toronto, lighting up Chris Bassitt as usual, Alvarez has gotten his stats up to a batting average of .289, on-base percentage of .386, and slugging percentage of .526, good enough for .913 OPS.
Tucker on the other hand has been a little more consistent so far in 2024, batting .260, an on-base percentage of .374, a slugging percentage of .519, good enough for an .893 OPS.
Both players have been great bats for the Astros in 2024 so far, batting behind Altuve.
Conclusion
While the Astros are 6-14, that isn’t an absolute death sentence. The Anaheim Angels began 6-14 in 2002 and won their first-ever World Series that year.
I’m not saying that it’s guaranteed for the Astros to be 2024 World Series Champions, but the point is that stranger things have happened, and despite what many fans will try to claim, there have been good things to happen to the Astros this year.
That doesn’t mean they haven’t played like crap, especially in the Atlanta series, but the season is not all doom and gloom is the point I’m trying to make.
The Astros’ next series will be in Washington, up against the Nationals, and Justin Verlander will be starting in Game 1 of the series.
Let’s hope that he’ll fit on this list, and not on the list of “Things that have gone wrong for the Astros in 2024” which will be written after the Nationals series concludes.
Great synopsis of the season, so far, Parker! Makes me feel better about the season going forward! I enjoyed hearing about the 2002 Angels, too. I had wondered if WE had had a similarly sad start in any given year, but having been raised with the franchise, I figured we had done so many times! But, the Angels' stat is, at least, somewhat encouraging, despite not being a guarantee of anything! Thanks again!