Astros’ costly Christian Walker gamble has fans frustrated and searching for answers

Christian Walker’s time with the Houston Astros has been a bit of an up and down affair. He started the year with one of the worst months of his career in April before beginning to look more like himself as the season went on. So much so, in fact, that he hit .318 in July, marking the third-best batting average he’s posted in any month in his career. 

While that was a good sign, all that glitters isn't gold. Walker recorded just three home runs across the month, which is the same output he posted in every month except for his four-homer performance in April.

That lack of power has led to Walker having just 16 home runs on the season, which has him on pace for the lowest season total of his career since he became an everyday player in 2019. 

Christian Walker has been exactly as advertised for Astros except for one flaw

Walker entered play on Thursday with a .237/.306/.394 slash line to go along with 16 home runs, 65 RBI and 20 doubles. Fine production, sure, but not the kind of production the Astros envisioned when they signed him to a three-year, $60 million contract in the offseason. 

Although Walker’s bat speed is near where it was in years prior (82nd percentile this year compared to 89th last year), all of his slugging numbers have dropped off a cliff. His hard-hit rate has taken a 3% hit along with drops in his barrel rate, average exit velocity and walk rate. 

Even if Walker has been a bit better since he tweaked his swing in May, it’s still not a great sign. The Astros signed him to fix their long-standing problems at first base, but they still rank in the bottom of the league in production from first baseman via wRC+. 

For what it’s worth, manager Joe Espada never panicked and made a rash decision about Walker’s playing time, but  also, what other options did he have?  Victor Cartini’s made the second-most appearances at first for the Astros this season, but he’s obviously best used on the bench as a backup catcher. 

Zach Dezenzo has also made some appearances at first but he’s currently on the 60-day injured list, and Mauricio Dubón has also made four, but he’s best used as a utility option. The Astros signed Walker with the expectation that he’d be their everyday first baseman, and they’ve stuck to that even if the power hasn’t been there. 

He provided his first signature moment with the Astros earlier this year when he mashed a walk-off home run against the Seattle Mariners. If the Astros want to turn things around this year and make a run in the postseason, they'll need to see more of that from Walker.

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