Astros news: 3 guys who must step up in Alvarez's absence

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Houston Astros, Taylor Jones (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

The Houston Astros will officially be without last year’s AL rookie of the year Yordan Alvarez, so here are three guys that need to step up.

I’m writing this article in the happy afterglow of the smashing of the Colorado Rockies. The sun is shining at midnight here on the east coast as I think about how easy it will be for the Houston Astros to fill the gap left by Alvarez.

Of course, it won’t be that easy. It’s going to be incredibly difficult, probably impossible. But after putting up 13 runs without Alvarez and, bonus points, without Alex Bregman, there’s reason to be optimistic.

Twenty hits have a way of doing that, especially when 12 those hits came from guys that have not been hitting—George Springer, Jose Altuve, Abraham Toro, Kyle Tucker, Taylor Jones. It’s kind of a big deal.

Yordan Alvarez is out for the year, so here are three replacements

Still, it’s all hands on deck to cover for the loss of Alvarez. The three guys I’m going to highlight aren’t the kinds of guys we already expect a lot from. Springer and Altuve, for instance, are expected to carry their weight and they’re already having trouble doing that, so asking them to fill the Alvarez void too is just… pointless.

Instead, I’ll highlight three guys with the tools to fill the gap, maybe as a three-piece, or maybe as a pair, if one can’t cut it. Or hell, maybe it’ll be a one-man show. But let’s get to it with No. 3.

3. Taylor Jones

Taylor Jones had his big year at AAA last year, belting 22 home runs and driving in 86 RBIs. He’s got the stature of a guy that looks like he could fill Alvarez’s shoes, but there’s just so little numerical evidence to support Jones’s attempts to do anything of the sort.

Which is why we need him to step up more than ever. Like I said, Springer, Yuli Gurriel, Alex Bregman—these guys are all established. Jones is a wild card. Whatever he produces is basically bonus money. Plus, seeing him put that sweet swing on the ball against Colorado, driving in his first big league RBI… well, let’s just say that’s something I could get used to.

On to No. 2.

Houston Astros, Abraham Toro (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

2. Abraham Toro

In case you haven’t gathered by now, I’m a big fan of Abraham Toro. A switch-hitter that can spray the ball to all fields? That’s someone I can root for.

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And after diving into his “pending offensive breakout” prior to what could be considered his actual offensive breakout, I’m feeling pretty good in saying that while we won’t see the big fly numbers from Toro, we will see plenty of other numbers.

Toro squares the ball up really well. He’s not a guy who will strike out a lot. And even before this 2-3 performance, which got his batting average to a grizzly .162, he was hitting the ball hard. Don’t believe me? Check out the evidence.

Baseball has a way of leveling itself out, and Toro is due a good leveling. He’s been lining into far too many outs this season to be called fair. Given how short this season is, it’s time to see him take that poor luck and levy it into regular luck for the rest of the season.

On to what should be an obvious No. 1.

Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

1. Kyle Tucker

Even if he’d gone 0-5 with 5 strikeouts against the Rockies, I’d still put Kyle Tucker No. 1 on this list. The only player who can single-handedly help us get over the Yordan Alvarez injury is this man right here, Kyle Tucker.

We had yet to see him really connect. That walk-off against Seattle might have turned something on in his batter’s eye, but against the Rockies, he looked like a brand new man. And while Tucker isn’t going to match Alvarez’s power numbers (no one will, face it), you can bet that he can bring excitement in other ways, like getting two triples and a home run in a single game.

Tucker has the speed to burn the basepaths and the power to trot them. He is sneakily our second-highest RBI producer.

You don’t simply replace Alvarez, but you can steal the attention of the fans so conclusively that they think less about him, and Kyle Tucker is definitely an attention-stealer.

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Astros news: 3 guys who must step up in Alvarez’s absence