3 under-the-radar Astros players who are off to great starts in 2023

Outfielder Chas McCormick

McCormick, 28 on Wednesday, is in the third season of his big league career and has excelled every year so far. Yet, somehow, he is still an under-the-radar player for this Houston Astros club.

To begin his career in The Show, McCormick has put up two straight seasons of nearly identical production. In 2021, he hit 12 doubles and 14 home runs with 50 RBI and a 107 OPS+. In 2022, he hit 12 doubles and 14 home runs with 44 RBI and a 110 OPS+.

Starting off the 2023 season, he's seen some time in left and right field, but the majority of his playing time has come in center field, a position he plays at around a league-average rate. With the bat, he's going 11-for-40 (.275 average) with a pair of home runs, seven runs scored and nine runs driven in. He's also already stolen four bases (tied for his career high) and is drawing walks at a higher rate than we've seen in the past out of him.

McCormick was already going to be splitting time in the outfield with Jake Meyers, who has struggled to start the season. With Michael Brantley injured, Corey Julks has gotten more playing time and McCormick has ran away with the center field job. If he is able to continue to produce at this level, it appears his job is safe and Meyers may be the one out the door once the starting lineup is back at full health.