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Astros Countdown: Top Five Wild Card Hitters to Watch
The Astros are, most likely, going to make the playoffs.
With the trade deadline passed, all sights are set for October, and the playoff run for the Houston Astros. As the current No. 1 seed, the Astros would face the winner of the American League Wild Card game in the Division Series. Looking ahead, with five teams within 1.5 games of the two spots and the game on October 3rd. Here are the five hitters to watch if their particular team faces the Astros in the ALDS.
Jonathan Schoop
Despite currently having a .500 record and a fourth place spot seven games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles are heating up at the right time. Currently, in the middle of a three-game winning streak. The Orioles have won eight of their last ten games.
Part of the reason why the Orioles are only 1.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot is the play of second baseman Jonathan Schoop. This season, Schoop is hitting a career high .303 with a .906 OPS. He has matched a career high in home runs (25) and RBIs (82). He has exceeded his highest walk total by seven in 199 less at bats.
Schoop has shown his success against Astros pitching this season. In 28 at bats, the 25-year-old is hitting .429 with a .857 slugging percentage. This season, six of his 12 total hits against the Astros went for extra bases, including three that left the yard.
Three pitchers on the Astros roster have had particular trouble against Schoop this season. He has eight hits in 12 at bats, including two home runs and two doubles, off of Chris Devenski, Lance McCullers, and newcomer Francisco Liriano. Against those three pitchers, he has driven in seven of his 11 RBIs against the Astros this season.
Even if it may seem unlikely, looking at its record, but the Orioles have the offensive game to make the team a legitimate threat in the Wild Card race.
Kyle Seager
The Astros are very familiar with the Seattle Mariners. As a division rival, the Mariners are 15 games behind the Astros for the AL West lead but are only one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals for the second Wild Card spot.
Even with the massive division lead, the Astros and Mariners have been playing some close baseball this season. Winning eight of 13 matchups, the Astros have only outscored the Mariners by an average of 0.2 points per game. At Safeco Field, where the Astros have won four of six games, the average score is dead even at 5.5 runs per game.
Even with a disappointing offensive season, Mariner’s third baseman Kyle Seager has found a way to hit the Astros well anyway. In 46 at bats, he is hitting .283 with a .871 OPS.
There are three Astros pitchers that he has faced more than anyone else. Against Charlie Morton, Seager has only one hit in seven at bats and has struck out two times. However, in his 14 at bats against Joe Musgrove and McCullers, he has eight hits, including a home run.
With a familiar team, such as the Mariners, it may seem easy for the Astros to count them out. However, with how close these games have been, Astros fans should expect that from a Division Series.
Corey Dickerson
After a 2016 season in which he showed power as the designated hitter for the Rays, Corey Dickerson is now back to hitting for average with that power. His bat is very important for a team, which is tied with the Royals for the second Wild Card spot.
Dickerson is having a very similar season to his breakout 2014 season with the Colorado Rockies. His is hitting .296 with a .859 OPS, his highest in a Rays uniform. He also has hit 21 home runs, while driving in 50 RBIs.
Overall, Dickerson has done very well against Astros pitching this season. He is hitting .316 with a .997 OPS in 38 at bats. He has also hit five extra-base hits, including three home runs, against the team this season.
However, there seems to be one interesting matchup to watch. In 10 at bats, Dickerson has three hits, including a triple, and has driven in two RBIs against Liriano. However, Liriano does have two strikeouts in those ten at bats, more than any other pitcher on the Astros roster.
Dickerson is having a fine year. It will be interesting to see his impact come playoff time.
Mike Moustakas
The Royals are the one team that the Astros do not want to face in the Division Series again. After winning two of the first three games, the Astros lost the series in 2015, with the Royals going on to win the World Series against the New York Mets.
One bat that did not do much in the Division Series against the Astros was third baseman Mike Moustakas. In 18 at bats, he recorded only two hits and struck out two times.
However, with the Royals in the middle of the AL Wild Card hunt, Moustakas seems to be making up for lost opportunities against the Astros. In 24 at bats, this season, the 28-year-old free agent to be has a .458 batting average and a 1.310 OPS against Astros pitching. He has hit two of his career high 32 home runs against McCullers and Ken Giles while driving in five RBIs and scoring himself five times.
With many players on the roster becoming free agents, like Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, and Alcides Escobar, this may be the Royals last chance, with this core, to go on a deep playoff run. If the Astros matchup against the Royals again, Moustakas will be ready.
Brett Gardner
The New York Yankees have done this before. Now, with the trades for Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Sonny Gray, this team is going all in for a playoff run.
Three games behind the Boston Red Sox for the lead in the AL East, the Yankees, in the middle of a two-game winning streak, could very well pass them and avoid a first round matchup with the Astros.
That would work out well for the Yankees. In 2015, the Astros, led by Dallas Keuchel, won 5-0 in the Wild Card game against Masahiro Tanaka. Veteran outfielder Brett Gardner struggled in that game, going 0-4 with three strikeouts in the loss.
Like Moustakas, he seems to have picked it up against the Astros since then. In 30 at bats this season, he is hitting .400 with a 1.141 OPS. He has two home runs against Tony Sipp and James Hoyt and has driven in eight RBIs.
Gardner has developed a bit more power this season. He is currently at a career high in home runs (19), slugging percentage (.454) and is currently on pace to pass his career high in RBIs, with 49 in only 403 at bats.
Next: Astros: Jose Altuve and the AL MVP Race
Gardner could be a power threat at the top of a deep offensive lineup that the Astros could face.
***Stats provided by Baseball Reference and MLB.com**