Houston Astros Trend: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not (Vol 5)

Who’s Hot 

Myles Straw

This could easily be Michael Brantley, but I thought Myles Straw deserves some recognition. Over the past month Straw hit .317 (27-85) with six stolen bases, .857 OPS 18 runs, three doubles and even two home runs -a power surge for his standards. His ability to get hits and get on base in the eighth or ninth spot gives the top-of-the-order Astros (Altuve, Brantley, Gurriel) another baserunner for RBI opportunities, while also applying more pressure on opposing pitchers.

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• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

Many including myself were skeptical of having Myles Straw as the everyday centerfielder to replace our beloved George Springer. Straw was primarily known as a speedster around the bases, but didn’t have much pop with his bat and was an unknown defensively.

However, after a very slow April for him at the plate, Straw has really picked up his play both at plate and in the outfield.  He’s become one of the best on-base guys in the league and has gradually improved with his bat production. Straw has made the Springer departure less painful for us Astro fans, while at the same time proving to us and all other 29 teams that he’s a big-time starter in this league.

Jake Odorizzi

To quote Adam Sandler at the end of Billy Madison: “Boy, I’m glad (James Click) called that guy”.

James Click signed starter Jake Odorizzi late in the spring, which at the time wasn’t the most exciting signing for fans. And Odorizzi didn’t exactly wow at the start of the season – he gave up some big bombs in his first start, struggled with his command fastball command and even had an elbow injury scare.

However, after a brief stint on the IL, Odorizzi has come back and been elite. In his last five appearances Jake Odorizzi is 2-1 with a 1.02 ERA to go along with 21 strikeouts, only four walks, as 0.72 WHIP and an opposing batting average of .167. This run includes a 14-inning scoreless streak over three games (vs. Texas, @ Baltimore, @ Detroit) where he combined for 15 strikeouts and only allowed 4 hits.

Odorizzi has been effective with his 4-seam fastball – a pitch he’s using nearly 60% of the time this season. Although he only averages 92 MPH on that pitch, his ability to place and add movement to the pitch makes it tough to hit and generally gets hitters to chase out of the zone. Opponents are only hitting .189 against him with that pitch – a career-best for Odorizzi. That, along with his highly whiff-able (is that a word?) splitfinger and slider,  continues to make Odorizzi been a force to be reckoned with on the mound.

With Odorizzi – along with the likes of Zack Greinke, Lance McCullers, Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy – the Astros have one of the deepest rotation in the majors. Now let’s hope health remains on our side.

Who’s Not

Catchers – Martin Maldonado & Jason Castro

The Astros have been clicking on all cylinders with the offense for most of the year, but I thought writing about the sub-par hitting from the catchers is worth examining.

Martin Maldonado (10-for-53) and Jason Castro (6-for-34) have combined for a .184 BA over the past month, with only 2 home runs and 4 extra base hits. Both players were key in the Sunday rally against the Yankees– Maldonado hit a homer and Castro hit a big soft single in the 9th – but production like this just doesn’t seem to happen enough. Maldonado has been striking out 36% of the time and posting only a .623 OPS. Jason Castro hasn’t been much better – striking out 30% of the time with an OPS of .570.

I get it – so what? Both Maldonado and Castro are above-average defensive catchers, guys who are among the best at framing pitches, fielding balls and throwing out baserunners. Both guys are also loved by their teammates and seem to be essential parts of this Astro squad. But would it be worth looking for upgrades?

More from Climbing Tal's Hill

• Just how much better is the Houston Astros playoff rotation than the rest?
• Houston Astros: A Lineup Change to Spark Offense
• Astros prospect Hunter Brown throws 6 shutout innings in debut
• Always faithful Astros World Series champion Josh Reddick defends the title
• Michael Conforto declines Astros’ 2-year, $30 million offer

With the trade deadline coming up, catchers might be available that could provide upgrades offensively. Yan Gomes (.268 BA, .763 OPS) is one who comes to mind, a guy with a championship pedigree and a track record of production at the plate. Jake Stallings and Mitch Garver are other more realistic options, assuming if either Pittsburgh or Minnesota decide to sell at the deadline. Would those guys be an upgrade? And what would the price be?

I personally would stick with Maldonado and Castro in hopes these guys can generate more production in the second half of the season. But it’ll be worth keeping an eye on them as we draw closer to the deadline.

Brandon Bielak

Bielak is having a very forgettable 2021. The right-hander has skills and a solid pitch repertoire, but posted a 12.27 ERA in his last six appearances – yikes. During these appearances, Bielak has allowed ten earned runs, three home runs and an opponent batting average of .371. Only he and Robel Garcia are posting a WHIP above 2.00 on the roster at the moment — and for those of you who don’t know, Robel Garcia is a utility infielder.

Those great starts from Bielak back in 2020 seem like a lifetime ago, and this current version of Bielak is scuffling. While he has shown flashes over the past month (nine strikeouts over his past seven innings) Bielak has been shelled far too often this season to be dependable. It’s looking less likely that he will be an integral part of the bullpen come playoff time.