6 reasons to get excited about the Astros in 2022

With the lockout dragging on and putting the beginning of the season in serious jeopardy,  Climbing Tal’s Hill decided to look forward and remind ourselves and fans why we should be excited about the Houston Astros in 2022.

The return of Justin Verlander will bolster the Astros rotation.

Technically, the Astros signed a top free agent starting pitcher this offseason as Verlander signed on for two more years and fifty million dollars.

Few view it that way because Verlander was committed to the Astros prior, but Verlander technically could have signed with any team as of last November 3 and he chose to remain in Houston.

Cautious optimism should be the rule, because Verlander hasn’t pitched in a game since July 24, 2020 and just turned 39-years-old, both of which are concerns.

On the other hand, Verlander is 43-15 with a 2.45 ERA as a Houston Astro with 2 All-Star games, a Cy Young and runner up on the shelf at home from his time in Houston. We also know Verlander is a “gamer” and will be out to prove the haters in Los Angeles, New York and Boston wrong.

It’ll be fascinating to see how Verlander reacts after twenty plus months without competing on the field and my guess is a modified “more of the same” we’ve seen since mid-2017.

A healthy Alex Bregman

In his last three fully healthy seasons (2017-2019), Bregman averaged 30 home runs, 95 RBI and an OPS+ of 146.  In an injury-plagued 2021, Bregman hit 12 home runs, with 55 RBI and an OPS+ of 113.

That OPS+ is still 13 points above average and pretty good, but I think I speak for all Astro fans when I say I’m excited about the potential for Bregman to approach an OPS+ of 150, with 27-30 home runs and 100 RBI in 2022.

The Astros made it to the World Series with a slightly above average, but obviously not one hundred percent Bregman and those fans have to be excited at the prospect of a healthy Breggy for 145 or so games.

An even more improved Kyle Tucker

There are those that believe Tucker reached his potential last season, slashing .294/.359/.557 with 30 home runs and 92 RBI, and playing a spectacular right field, but I’m not one of them and the advanced metrics are on my side.

Tucker’s expected batting average was .307, expected slugging was .580,  xwOBA 400.  Can you believe there’s room for Tucker to improve?  Tucker struggled in April hitting only .181.

From May to the end of the regular season, in 412 at-bats, Tucker mashed for a .320 average. He hit .320 for five months, folks. Yes, there’s room to get better for Tucker and I’m here for it as are the Astros fans who love Tucker.

Jeremy Peña

So far we’ve focused on veterans and the excitement they add to the 2022 season, but now it’s time to focus on a rookie that looks like he’ll be taking on the monumental task of following Carlos Correa at shortstop.

There’s no way Peña is going to “replace” Correa and that’s why I didn’t use that word. FanGraph’s Steamer projections show a slash of .247/.299/. 413 with 15 home runs, 56 RBI and a wRC+ of 95 for Pena and that sounds about right to me.

Though Peña is thought to be a defensive first shortstop, trying to replicate Correa’s play in the field will be tough, so why are we excited?

As we see with Correa, free agency is not going away and teams are in constant need of a mix of veterans and young players to maintain payroll, the ability to compete and avoid the dreaded tanking we saw with the Astros of the 2010s.

Is it optimal to lose Correa in his prime?

Not even close, but seeing the next shortstop of the future grow up in front of your eyes, much like Correa did, is an exciting proposition and hopefully the Astros will be set at shortstop for the next half decade, at least.

Jose Altuve

In his last two full seasons (2019 and 2021), Altuve has slammed 31 home runs in each and had an OPS+ of 131 and 127, respectively.  But it’s not just the results that have us excited, it’s the joy and reckless abandon the Venezuelan plays the game with, even at age 31.

My son and I have a running joke when we see someone flail wildly at a pitch at eye level or in the dirt and we guess where Altuve would have hit that one.  He’s one of those, “No, no, no…YES!” kind of players that come along a couple times in your fandom.

These days there’s a lot of professional athletes that appear unhappy or unsatisfied with the game they once loved, but not Altuve, who appears to enjoy every moment of being on the field, in the clubhouse or representing Houston in general.

If you can’t get excited to watch Altuve play, then get your pulse checked, because you’re likely dead.