The Houston Astros 2024 season ended abruptly when they were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series. Kyle Tucker (traded to the Chicago Cubs) and Alex Bregman (signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox) are gone from the team. Houston won their eighth division title in a row last season but will likely not extend that streak to nine this year. The ‘win-now’ mantra of the Astros is changing also. The changes to their roster have been too significant. Are you sad the Astros may not win the American League West in 2025?
Houston Astros Starting Rotation
The ace of the Astros rotation is, for once, not Justin Verlander. It is Framber Valdez. Valdez is one of the best ground ball pitchers in the major leagues. Hunter Brown is the number two starter and throws pitches similar to Valdez. He, too, is a ground ball pitcher with a 96 MPH fastball. He is right-handed, whereas Valdez is left-handed.
Ronel Blanco is third in line and had a good year last season. It all began with the no-hitter he threw in his first start of the season. However, his 4.15 fielding independent pitching earned run average suggests he will regress. Spencer Arrighetti is the fourth starter. He is hoping his strong second half will carry over to this season. Hayden Wesnewski will be the fourth starter while Luis Garcia recovers from Tommy John Surgery.
Houston added closer Josh Hader before last season, and his earned run average rose from 1.28 to 3.80. That was primarily due to yielding home runs, which was not good news for the Astros. Bryan Abreu can work in the late innings as well. This is Forest Whitley’s last chance to prove himself, and we think he will succeed.
Rafael Montero is owed too much money to leave off the roster. Taylor Scott was a nice find for the Astros and is an important addition to the Astros bullpen. Bryan King, Shawn Dubin, Kaleb Ort, and Miguel Ullola will vie for bullpen jobs in spring training, as will others.
Catcher
Yanier Daiz is the primary catcher again for the Astros. He has hit 39 home runs for them in the past two seasons and last year batted .299. Defensively, he has proven to be a poor pitch framer. Victor Caratini is the backup catcher he is a good defender and can contribute offensively, he also played for them last season.
Infield
Houston signed Christian Walker from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Over the past three seasons, he has averaged 32 home runs and 94 runs batted in and fits well in the middle of the Astros batting order. Jose Altuve plays second base and will be 35 on May 6. Though his OPS was down to .790, he did have a 20 home run and 20 steal season. That was the first time since 2017 he reached those milestones. Jeremy Pena is the shortstop. He is a good defender but has struggled at the plate in the last two seasons. Isaac Paredes is the new third baseman. He came over from the Chicago Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade.
Outfield
Chas McCormick is the left fielder. He had a breakout 2023 season but struggled mightily last season. Injuries hampered his ability to hit. Jake Myers is the center fielder. He is an elite defender and fast, and when on base he is a threat to steal a base. However, he is not on base enough. Ben Gamel, who is recovering from the broken leg he sustained last year, is in the mix. Mauricio Dubon is the incumbent right fielder and will battle Gamel for the final starting spot.
Designated Hitter
At designated hitter, the Astros will rely upon slugger Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez can play left field, but the Atros prefer him as a designated hitter. He gets hurt in the outfield and is not a good defensive liability. He is, however, among the most dangerous hitters in Major League Baseball. His average over the last four seasons is .294, with 34 home runs and 96 runs batted in. We should be in the batting order every day, when he is not the designated hitter he can start in the outfield.
Management
Joe Espada is the new manager as the Astros have moved on from Dusty Baker, which is another change. Ironically, Espada was a coach for the New York Yankees. Houston was accused of cheating and probably robbed the Yankees of the 2017 American League Championship. Their general manager is Dan Brown, and Houston is an analytically driven organization. The owner of the Astros is Jim Crane, and he will spend money to secure a winning team.
Conclusion
Changes abound for the Houston Astros as they head into the 2025 season. Two big pieces of their lineup, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, are gone. So, too, is longtime manager Dusty Baker. Houston hopes Walker and Espada can fill the void left. They further hope for increased production from some of their stars. Unfortunately, the holes are too large, and the Astros run of American League West Division titles will end.
