10 Bold Predictions for the Astros Regular Season

Opening Day is Thursday and we can't wait for some Astros baseball. Spring Training is great in-and-of-itself, but the 162-game grind of the regular season is an entirely different animal. We'll see regulars that could be traded, breakout stars we hadn't even considered, and plenty of questions about lineup construction and bullpen management over the course of 162 games.

As Houston looks to repeat as both AL West and World Series champions, let's take a look at 10 bold predictions for the Astros in 2023.

#10 David Hensley emerges as best Astros utility player since 2017 Marwin Gonzalez

David Hensley will likely man second base while Jose Altuve rehabs, but upon Altuve's return, we will likely see Hensley all over the diamond. Similar to Marwin, he can play all four infield spots and can play an outfield corner.

Aledmys Diaz could do the same, but injuries often limited his ceiling in Houston. Mauricio Dubon is a slightly more versatile defender (and can play center field), but his offensive ineptitude makes him a liability. Hensley is adequate at each spot, and provides offense to a lineup that will need it wihtout Altuve and Michael Brantley.

Marwin hit .303 with a team-high 90 RBI in 2017. His .907 OPS was a career high, and he finished his time in Houston with a .736 OPS.

Hensley might not tap into the power Marwin brought, but he is an on-base machine, constantly working quality at-bats. In his limited time in the bigs, Hensley posted an obscene .441 OBP, a slight improvement on his .420 OBP on Sugar Land. If Hensley can get on 33-35% of the time for Houston in the bottom of the order, that's a massive win.

Look for Hensley to finish with an OPS of around .720-740 fueled by a high on-base-percentage and lots of doubles.

#9 Hunter Brown fluctuates between starter and reliever

The Astros top-prospect has a bright future ahead of him, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him alternate roles this season. While there is much hope for him moving forward, expectations that Brown will replace JV seamlessly should probably be cooled.

He at times has shown control issues. Additionally, once Lance McCullers returns, it wouldn't be surprising if he came out of the bullpen for a bit just to keep his total innings down, as he has never thrown more than 106 in a season.

The Astros still posses a very deep rotation, and at times Dusty Baker has tag-teamed starters to keep innings low and has utilized an arm like Cristian Javier in a swiss-army-knife role. If Brown does move to the pen, no need to panic. Because

#8 Ronel Blanco establishes himself as a rotation stalwart

Ronel Blanco has been one of many Astros prospects to make a huge impact in the spring. He has built on his dominant showing in the Dominican Winter League, making a name for himself as a player to watch in Houston.

He has pitched in six games this spring, making two starts. In 14 innings of work, he's allowed only one run on a solo shot.

Dana Brown has spoken at length about his desire to see Blanco stretched out. With LMJ missing time and a young rotation that hasn't proven durable over the long haul (with the exception of Framber), don't be surprised if Blanco makes some spot starts and seizes the opportunity. He could easily become a staple of the rotation moving forward.

#7 Alex Bregman records an .OPS over .900

Alex Bregman was one of the best hitters in the game from 2018-2019, hitting .291 with 72 home runs and a .970 OPS. Injuries impacted his mechanics and he scuffled a bit for 2020 and 2021, but he rebounded nicely in 2022.

Unless the juiced baseballs return from 2019, he may not approach the 40 home run threshold again, but his eye remains elite, he actually should benefit quite a bit as a pull-heavy hitter with the new shift restrictions, and most of all, he's healthy and mechanically sound.

90+ walks and 40+ doubles aren't out of the question for Bregman, and expect more singles to add up with the shift restrictions as well.

#6 Corey Julks and Justin Dirden both contribute this season

Corey Julks and Justin Dirden do not currently occupy a spot on the 40-man roster, but both are more than deserving. With Jose Altuve headed for the 60-day IL, at least one roster spot will open. Don't be surprised if one makes the Opening Day roster with Uncle Mike out and the other comes up later in the year.

If you can hit, you'll play, and both of these players can hit.

Julks hit 31 home runs for Sugar Land last season, posting a 270 average with an .854 OPS. He followed that by going deep twice this Spring with an .868 OPS.

Dirden had arguably the best spring of any Astro, batting ,324 with a 1.043 OPS and great outfield defense. Through two minor league seasons, Dirden is batting .291 with a .939 OPS.

Both will get a shot this year at solidifying themselves, and both will continue to do what they have always done: crush baseballs.

#5 Kyle Tucker joins the 30/30 club

We've spent the last couple of years talking about Kyle Tucker as a 30/30 candidate, and 2023 is the year he officially becomes a member of the club. King Tuck has hit 30 home runs each of the last two seasons, and has stolen 14 and 25 bags respectively.

He's not a crazy burner, but he's got 53 steals to only eight caught stealing in his career. With the bigger bases and new rules limiting pickoff attempts, Tucker may steal 35-40 bags. Heck, he may even get into 40/40 territory.

Assuming health, 30/30 feels like a lock.

#4 Astros win at least 101 games

The Astros have won at least 100 games in four of the last five full seasons. They do have some health concerns to start the season, but I think they'll win at least 101 games. They're talented enough to do it, but it's also an attainable number that would mean a great deal to their beloved manager.

With 101 wins, Baker jumps from ninth to tied for sixth on the all time wins list for a manager. This could very well be his last year managing before riding off into the sunset, so he likely wouldn't climb any higher, but in the same way the Astros players so badly wanted to win one for Dusty last season, don't be surprised if they're motivated to send him out on top in 2023.

#3 Framber Valdez regresses

Now let's be clear: regression doesn't mean he's no longer elite. Valdez finished last season with a 2.82 ERA powered by a 66.5% ground-ball rate. In 2021, 70.1% of batted balls off of Valdez were on the ground. No pitcher in the game keeps the ball on the ground more than Framber.

It's safe to assume he'll likely lose some outs he previously recorded without the shift. His xERA last season was 3.31, still a great number and would have had him in the top-25 pitchers in the game. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Framber finish with an ERA of around 3.30.

He'll still be great, still eat innings, and likely build an all-star caliber season, but a top-five Cy Young finish may not be in the cards. No cause for concern though--Cristian Javier should take a leap forward into Cy Young candidacy.

#1 Astros repeat as World Series champs

For the first time since 2000, the MLB will have a repeat World Series champion. The Houston Astros will defeat the Atlanta Braves in a repeat of the 2021 World Series.

Jose Altuve will take home his first World Series MVP, all but guaranteeing his place in Cooperstown.