Astros' new hitting coach is anything but a sure thing to fix offensive woes

For those that have followed the Houston Astros for the last decade or so, the 2025 offense looked decidedly un-Astros-like. Some of that can be explained by the likes of Christian Walker struggling and Cam Smith falling short of expectations. There were also some key injuries to impact players like Yordan Alvarez, but the Astros' offense as a whole underperformed beyond that.

Collectively, Houston's posted a 100 wRC+ last season — their lowest since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. As a result, the Astros dismissed their hitting coaches, but one wonders if their proposed solution will do much better.

Last week, it was revealed that the Astros were hiring Victor Rodriguez to be their next hitting coach. Before joining Houston's coaching staff, Rodriguez was the San Diego Padres' hitting coach for the last couple of years along with stints in Boston and Cleveland before that. Based purely on the amount of experience he has, Rodriguez looks like a solid hire.

Astros fans, however, shouldn't get their hopes up too much that this hiring is going to be some sort of magic potion that solves the offense's problems.

Astros have a new hitting coach in Victor Rodriguez, but their issues run deeper than that

Fans have to realize that assistant coaches only have so much influence. Sure, you occasionally get a guy like Leo Mazzone who gets credited with having a lot of influence, but assistants are generally tasked to keep players on track and help prepare game plans for specific match-ups. To put it another way, the Padres' 2025 offense, which had Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado among other stars, only managed a team wRC+ two points better than Houston's mark. That doesn't sound like Rodriguez is some sort of silver bullet, does it?

The news is not all bad. If Walker can rebound (assuming he isn't traded this offseason) and the Astros get a healthy season out of Alvarez, they will be in a much better position in 2026. Losing your best hitter for the majority of the season and having your biggest signing crater would be tough for any team to absorb.

Was Rodriguez a bad hire? That remains to be seen. He's been highly thought of, and multiple smart organizations put him in a position of authority. However, the idea that hiring Rodriguez fixes everything just isn't true. Remember, it was only a couple of years ago that the Astros' previous hitting coaches were thought to be the best in baseball. Now they're out of a job.