Astros in Fantasy: First Half Recap

A Look at Fantasy Baseball Through the Lens’ of an Astros Fan

With the first half of the regular season over, the Astros have had some solid fantasy contributors for fantasy owners to keep in their lineup. We will go over those first half MVPs and then look to the second half to see who will break out for the Astros in their quest for the American League West title. Before their weekend series at Seattle, a regular Astros in Fantasy article will be posted for Week 15.

MVP Hitter:

Jose Altuve– 119/349 H/AB, 67 R, 14 HR, 51 RBI, 23 SB,  .341 BA

Not only has Altuve been the best hitter on this Astros team, but also arguably he has been in all of baseball. Altuve is in the top five in seven of the 16 major hitting categories in the American League and is the leader in batting average, at .341, hits, with 119, and games played at 89.

Altuve has been a fixture at the top of the lineup for A.J. Hinch for the entire season. The reason why Altuve is so deadly to opposing pitchers near the top of the order is that he can hurt you in more ways than one.

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For a second baseman near the top of the lineup, it is expected that he get on base. With his .341 batting average, Altuve posts a .413 on-base percentage, which is fourth in the AL. Once he gets on base, Altuve is a threat on the base paths. He is second in the American League with 23 steals in 26 attempts and has come around to score 67 times, which is fifth in the American League.

However, despite his size, Altuve has been a power threat. Ranked 11th in the AL with a .542 slugging percentage, he has 40 extra base hits, including 14 long balls and 24 doubles. Batting third in this lineup, Altuve also has had many opportunities to drive in runners. He has 51 RBIs this season and is hitting .307 with a .927 OPS with runners in scoring position.

All of this is to say that the Astros have one of the most complete players in the game today batting third in their lineup. Fantasy owners should be very pleased with his offensive production so far in 2016.

Altuve has put up AL MVP-like numbers in the first half of this season. If the Astros want to make a run at the AL West title, he needs to continue to be that offensive force. If this happens, he will continue to rack up stats for your fantasy team and maybe earn some MVP votes at the end of the season.

Next: MVP Pitcher

MVP Pitcher:

Doug Fister– 106.1 IP, 96 H, 42 ER, 36 BB, 66 K, 8 W, 3.55 ERA, 1.24 WHIP

No one knew what to expect when the Fister signing became a done deal this offseason. He was coming into 2016 looking to rebound after a tough 2015 with the Washington Nationals.

So far in 2016, Fister has rebounded quite nicely. In his 17 starts this season, Fister leads the Astros in wins, with eight, ERA, at 3.55, and WHIP, at 1.24.

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His 2016 did not start promising, though. In his first two starts this season, Fister gave up nine earned runs in 10.2 innings pitched. However, Fister then gave up three earned runs or fewer in his next twelve starts to lower his ERA to 3.21.

So, what was his secret to coming back strong in 2016? It’s pitching the same way that Fister always has. With a two-seam fastball that he throws 46.2% of the time, Fister lives and dies by the ground ball with a 48.5% ground ball rate this year.

He also shows that he doesn’t have to strike many batters out to be successful. Averaging only 5.59 strikeouts per nine innings, Fister only strikes out batters 15% of the time.

That really has to do with his stuff. Averaging mid-eighties on his fastball, Fister does not blow anyone away. However, he has been very successful against right-handed batters. With a 2.13 ERA against, Fister has a 0.98 WHIP and .200 batting average against them.

Although many fantasy owners have overlooked Fister this year, he has proved to be a solid starter for the Astros. Although he does not strike many batters out or may not have the best WHIP, Fister will get you wins. He has been one of the most underrated pitchers in the AL this year.

Next: Now on to the Second Half

Second Half Breakout Hitter:

Carlos Correa (Owned in 99.2% of ESPN Fantasy leagues)

Correa knows what baseball pundits talk about when they talk about the “sophomore slump.” That is not to say that he has been bad, though. He has just been underwhelming. In his 85 games this season, Correa has a .260 average with a .812 OPS. He also has 34 extra base hits, including 14 home runs, with 55 RBIs and 45 runs scored.

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• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer
• Alex Bregman goes off in August, leads Astros

The problem in 2016 has been his strikeout numbers. With a 22.3% strikeout rate, he has 84 strikeouts this season, already eclipsing his 78 last season. After being looked over in regards to the AL All-Star team, Correa has something to prove in the second half of this season. There are reasons to believe he will do that.

First, he has a history of producing well in the second half. Yes, he did not play much in the first half of the season last year. However, that is when he started to come into his own. In his 67 games, he hit .281 with a .875 OPS. He also hit 15 home runs and drove in 49.

Second, he will most likely continue to hit fourth in the Astros lineup. After Hinch had moved Correa to hit behind Altuve, his bat seemed to get hot very quickly. In his 23 games in the cleanup role, Correa has a .281 average with a .948 OPS. He also has six home runs in only 89 at bats.

After struggling so far in the month of July, with a .200 average and a .581 OPS, this All-Star break is well needed for Correa. He will have to work hard to supplant Francisco Lindor and Xander Bogaerts as the best shortstop in the AL for 2016.

Correa will be an important piece if the Astros want to make the playoffs. Look for Correa to live up to his expectations in the second half.

Next: Second Half Breakout Pitcher