Ranking The Astros Dynasty Era Hall of Fame Candidates Part Two

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The Astros’ golden era of baseball has been filled with greatness, both on a team level and an individual level. We’re spoiled to be living in this era of Astros baseball. It’s easy to fall into expecting a World Series ring at the end of each season, but when one takes a step back and examines this era from afar, the magnitude of their success begins to sink in.

Multiple players from their dynasty will be enshrined in Cooperstown one day. Some will wear Astros’ caps and others won’t.

In light of the election announcement this week, we’re going to take a look at the most deserving candidates, from the no doubters to the deserving dependent upon voters view of the scandal. We’ll look at the health dependent and the too early to tell, but they’re on track. And lastly, we’ll look at the just missed, the Hall of Greatness.

We took a look at the no doubt candidates in part one. Now in part two, we'll take a look at the health dependent candidates. If these three players can stay healthy, they'll have a solid case for Cooperstown.

Division Series - Seattle Mariners v Houston Astros - Game One / Bob Levey/GettyImages

Alex Bregman

Alex Bregman is an interesting case study. When he’s been healthy and mechanically sound, he’s been a top hitter in the game. He finished top-five in MVP voting in 2018 & 2019 after combining to hit .291 with a .970 OPS. He racked up 88 doubles and 72 home runs in that time frame.

Breggy regressed in 2020 and 2021, combining to hit .262 with a .785 OPS and only 18 big flies.

In the second half of the 2022 season, Bregman found his mechanics and posted an .894 OPS with 12 home runs and hit .287. He may never hit 40 home runs in a season again, but if he can average 20 over the next eight seasons, he’s sitting at 300. He’s well on his way to 400 career doubles.

He’s also an elite playoff performer. He’s the all-time leader in playoff home runs by a third baseman with more surely to follow.

If Bregman can stay healthy, a career average of around .275 with 300 home runs, 400 doubles, 20-25 postseason home runs, an .870 OPS and more individual accolades are sure to follow. Through eight seasons, his numbers are almost identical to that of Scott Rolen’s, this year’s Hall of Fame inductee.

He will have to navigate the murky waters of the scandal, but if Breggy can stay off of IL, expect plenty more big seasons to come. If he can stockpile 15 seasons of production after the scandal of 2017, he'll have quite a convincing case.

New York Mets v Houston Astros / Carmen Mandato/GettyImages

Yordan Alvarez

The 25-year old slugger is on a ridiculous trajectory. Through four seasons (though 2020 included all of two games), Alvarez carries a .296 career batting average with 98 home runs, 90 doubles, 283 RBI and a .973 OPS.

His 162 game average would be 43 home runs, 40 doubles and 125 RBI. Now, gone are the days of players playing 162, but if he can average even 145-150 games from here on out, there is no reason to believe Alvarez doesn't retire with 400 home runs, 400 doubles, an average of around .300 and an OPS in the high .900s.

His strikeout rate improves each year and his contact quality is the best in the game. The issue with Yordan isn't production, but staying on the field.

Alvarez put up a monster season in 2022, hitting 37 home runs and driving in 97 runs in only 135 games. Even in those 135, he battled a hand injury throughout, especially limiting the big man in August, when he hit only .234 with one home run and three doubles.

Now, all hitters endure slumps, but very few are the quality of Alvarez. When he is healthy, nobody in the game is better. Every other month last season, Alvarez had at least eight extra-base hits, and even that came in the first month of the season, when Houston played only 16 games.

If Yordan stays healthy, he could very well hold every record there is to hold as an Astro. He has a prodigious power stroke and is a .300 hitter. He's already got a proven postseason track record with an ALCS MVP to his name and three game-winning postseason home runs to his name. If he's healthy, he's a lock.

If he's not, he may be one of the greatest "what could have been" stories of our generation.

Championship Series - Boston Red Sox v Houston Astros - Game Six / Elsa/GettyImages

Carlos Correa

Of all the Astros that have been snakebitten with injuries over the years, arguably none has more than Correa. Just look at his contract saga and the various physicals this offseason for further proof. He's one of the best players in baseball when he is on the field, but he's also missed time in his career due to a fractured rib from a massage.

Through eight years in the bigs, Correa has hit 155 home runs, 186 doubles, posted an .836 OPS, won a gold glove and a platinum glove and has 18 career playoff home runs (likely would have finished with far more had he stayed in Houston). His track record is dominant when in fact he plays.

Unfortunately, he's played in only 68% of possible games in his career. Missing almost one-third of games is a surefire way to put a ding in your counting stats.

If Correa can put his injury woes behind him, it's easy to see him retiring with 400 doubles, 300 home runs and multiple defensive awards with proven playoff success. Unfortunately the 192 games he missed from 2017-2019 have already put a damper on his raw stats.

Especially if Carlos can stay healthy the next four to five years, he will be well on his way. Success outside of Houston will likely help his candidacy as Correa made himself the face of the Astros' scandal with his defense of his teammates. But with multiple great seasons long after the events of 2017, he may very well build himself a solid candidacy. The question is not can he do so, but will he be on the field enough to do so?

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Ranking the Astros Hall of Fame Candidates From the Dynasty Era: Part Two

Alex Bregman

Yordan Alvarez

Carlos Correa

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