Astros: Josh Reddick’s producing hitting third in lineup

Josh Reddick becomes the 11th Astros player to reach double-digit homers in a season.

The Houston Astros are 68-34 this season for many reasons. One of those is because of what Josh Reddick has done in the Houston uniform. After a down season last year, fans weren’t sure what they were getting with Reddick. He has become one of key players on this team.

In yesterday’s 6-5 win over the Detroit Tigers, Reddick hit his tenth homer on the season. While that may not be to impressive through 102 games. He became the 11th Astro to hit ten or more homers this year, setting a new team record. In fact, they set a new MLB record for players with double-digit homers.

Right before the All-Star break, manager A.J. Hinch finally gave in and started hitting Reddick third. It started to see how he did there versus two left-handed pitchers in a row in Atlanta. Reddick had been pleading his case for a chance to hit third. He got his chance and has excelled hitting third.

With George Springer temporarily on the DL, the team will rely more on Reddick to be one of the big three. He came through yesterday as he had five RBI with only one hit. In 56 at-bats hitting third, Reddick has a slash line of .339/ .355/ .554/ .908 with two homers and 18 RBI.

The Astros lead Reddick off earlier in the season, but Derek Fisher did it last night in Springer’s place. For the season, Reddick has a slash line of .307/ .350/ .498/ .848 with ten homers and 53 RBI. He has also scored 59 times and seven steals.

Reddick has also made some highlight reel catches in the outfield and his presence is a plus for the squad. He came up with the idea of the player of the game wrestling style belt. His love for wrestling has also led to the “woo’s” from the fans.

Reddick will be with this team for the next three seasons. The best thing about Reddick’s season is how improved he is versus left-handed hitters this year. His slash line versus LHP is .309/ .350/ .345/ .695 compared to last year’s .155/ .212/ .155/ .366.

Next: Astros Rumors: Why they are doing background work on Ervin Santana

Reddick is a big reason why the Astros are having this magical season. He may not be the best hitter on the team, but he does what is needed in that role.

***Stats from Baseball-Reference***