4 Astros that will struggle to replicate their 2023 season in 2024

The Astros had another strong 2023 season. They took home yet another AL West title and went back to the ALCS for the seventh straight season.

For many teams, that's a success, but for Houston, it's title or bust. They had some underachievers like José Abreu, who we profiled in our 5 Astros players that are primed for a much improved 2024 season piece, but also had some big time overachievers that carried a ton of weight to take them as far as they went. Repeat performances may not be likely.

4 Astros that will struggle to replicate their 2023 season in 2024

Now, to be clear, this doesn't mean these players will necessarily be bad in 2024, but rather, they won't replicate what were fantastic 2023 seasons. Let's take a look at five Astros likely to regress in 2024.

#1 Chas McCormick

We love Chas McCormick. All season we argued how inexcusable it was that Chas was getting irregular playing time. Chas is a well above-average MLB outfielder and should start every day.

That said, it's hard to believe he will replicate his 2023 season. McCormick hit .273 with an .842 OPS and 130 OPS+ last season. In only 115 games, McCormick hit 22 home runs and stole 19 bases. That's borderline All-Star game starter production.

His Statcast metrics portray some regression is likely. His batting average was nearly 30 points higher than his xBA, and his hard-hit percentage was only in the 37th percentile, leading to a higher than slugging percentage than his expected contact.

He also was the second best hitter in the MLB against fastballs, in the company of names like Matt Olson, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and teammate Kyle Tucker.

Is McCormick a very good MLB player? Absolutely. But is he probably closer to a .260 hitter with an .800 OPS than the dominant force he was in 2023? Yes. He should still start every day, but don't be surprised if McCormick comes slightly back to earth in 2024.