Astros’ offense is on track to be historic in 2019

We all remember what happened the last time the Astros had a historic offense, right?

The Astros’ offense back when the club won its first, and only, World Series in 2017 is generally considered to be one of the best historically. By wRC+ since the live ball era (1920 onwards), only the 1927 and 1930-31 Yankees posted a higher wRC+ than Houston’s 122 mark in 2017. If you go by adjusted OPS+, only the 1927 and 1931 Yankees finish higher than Houston’s 123 rank, which is tied with the 1930 Yankees.

Fast forward to 2019 and the Astros could find themselves atop of the same company. Entering Thursday’s game action, Houston currently leads baseball with a 132 wRC+ and an 129 adjusted OPS+. If the season ended today, the 2019 Astros would be considered the best offense of all time. Yes, you read that right. The best of all-time.

From an individual player standpoint, it is easy to see why the Astros are doing what they are at the plate. For example, George Springer has been one of the best hitters in baseball with 17 home runs and a 177 wRC+ this season. Alex Bregman is picking up where he left off last season with a 160 wRC+ in 211 plate appearances. Carlos Correa (148 wRC+), Jake Marisnick (139 wRC+), and Josh Reddick (130 wRC+) have all bounced back from a rough 2018 in the early going this season. Key free-agent acquisitions, Michael Brantley and Robinson Chirinos, has also bolstered the club’s lineup with a 149 and 137 wRC+, respectively. Just imagine if Jose Altuve (117 wRC+) was hitting like he has in the past?

Will the Astros maintain this level of production all season long? Probably not as Houston could see those impressive numbers dip a bit. After all, those figures are difficult to maintain. That said, I could also see the Astros pulling it off. We were saying the same things in 2017 and look what happened then.