3 Astros players fans are already fed up with in 2024 season.
The Houston Astros have not missed the playoffs since 2016 but currently find themselves well below the .500 mark.
The Houston Astros nearly made it to the World Series for the third straight time in 2023, narrowly falling four games to three to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS. With lofty expectations for the reigning AL West champs in 2024, Houston has not started the season convincingly. Despite a surprising breakout year from pitcher Ronel Blanco, the Astros are 22-28 and sitting in a disappointing third place in the division.
It is an unfamiliar spot for the Astros, who have not missed the playoffs since 2016. Given these early struggles, here are three players Astros fans are already fed up with in 2024.
Jose Abreu
When the Astros signed Jose Abreu to a three-year, $58 million contract before the 2023 season, he seemed the ideal addition to the Houston lineup. Incumbent first-baseman Yuli Guriel was 38 years old and entering free agency off a year where he posted a .647 OPS. While Abreu’s power numbers were down in 2022 (17 homers and 75 RBI versus 30 HR and 117 RBI the year before), his OPS stayed constant thanks to a 40-point rise in his batting average. Looking back, Abreu’s .350 batting average on balls in play in 2022 should have been a warning sign to the Astros.
In 2023, Jose Abreu batted .237 with a .680 OPS — career lows. Only a September flourish with seven homers and 28 RBI helped Abreu’s final numbers approach respectability. This year, Abreu batted .099 through 22 games with just one extra-base hit in 77 plate appearances. His OPS sat at a lowly .269. Abreu did not register a homer until May 28 last year but the Cuban first-baseman managed to struggle even more this year. The club mercifully sent him to the minors at the end of April to give him time to figure things out, but not before he posted a -1.5 WAR in the first month of the season.
Hunter Brown
With injuries to several of Houston’s top starting pitchers last year, rookie Hunter Brown saw himself thrust into the starting rotation, throwing 155.2 innings in his first full big-league season. Though his 5.09 ERA was hardly impressive, Brown combined a high strikeout rate (9.1 K/9) with a 4.37 FIP and 4.27 expected ERA. With one year of MLB experience under his belt, Brown seemed poised for improvement in his sophomore campaign.
