Astros: Does this really look mediocre to you?

The Houston Astros are apparently on a “slow descent into mediocrity.” Apparently no one told them, though, because they are on fire.

Sometimes I’ll let a headline get to me. This one got to me. “The Astros’ Slow Descent into Mediocrity.” Okay, I took the bait (I know I shouldn’t have). What we find inside is a haters dream—apparently, the Astros are falling down the MLB totem pole.

To be fair, the articles does take into account the injuries to Justin Verlander, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Roberto Osuna, and more. But apparently that doesn’t cover it. Because this team just isn’t as good as they used to be and they won’t get better any time soon with the lac of high-round picks up to 2022.

This is just all wrong though. How is a team mediocre when they lead the team in so much, with all of that coming from young players without the help of our perpetual Cy Young candidate, perpetual MVP candidate, and rookie of the year?

The Houston Astros are nowhere near mediocrity

The Astros lead the American League in runs scored and RBIs. They are tied for the American League lead in BB/K. They lead the American League in batting average with runners on. They have the fewest strikeouts in the American League, thus the lowest K%.

The list goes on when you start talking individual accolades.

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Oh, and did we mention that this is with Jose Altuve and George Springer each sleeping on the Mendoza line?

Meaning that all the offensive numbers they are putting up aren’t courtesy of their usual suspects, but of a new crew of players who are all rather young—Kyle Tucker, for instance, who is leading the majors in triples, is verifiably the hottest hitter on the planet.

Can you imagine how mediocre this lineup will be when Bregman comes back this year and Alvarez comes back next year? These guys who still have another decade or more of the game left to play?

And pitching-wise, sure, they have some hiccups. But they’re still consistently in the top 5 in the American League in most major categories and guess what? That’s thanks to young guys like Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., Cristian Javier, and even Brandon Bielak stepping up. Zack Greinke alone can’t maintain top 5 for the team.

No, this team is not mediocre. Or even “descending into mediocrity.” They just took a double-header and won the series against Oakland, the best team in the American League. Mediocre teams don’t do that.