Who or What Is At Fault For What Has Gone Wrong With the Astros

For the first time in seven years, the Astros are deep into September and wondering if they will make the postseason. After expectations were so high coming into the year, who or what is at fault for what has gone wrong?

By Alec Brown | Sep 25, 2023

Houston Astros v Detroit Tigers / Duane Burleson/GettyImages

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Oakland Athletics v Houston Astros / Carmen Mandato/GettyImages

#5 José Abreu

José Abreu was signed this offseason to a three-year deal to stabilize the Astros at 1B and provide another run producer in the heart of the order. Coming off of an .824 OPS season, he was supposed to elevate the Astros.

He’s done anything but that.

Only two qualified players in baseball have been worse than Abreu’s -0.9 fWAR. His .234 average and .669 OPS are both below league average. And defense has never been his calling card, but his bat made up for his shortcomings. With his bat abandoning him, Abreu has been a massive overpay and a net negative for Houston.

Yes, he's driven in 84 runs, but that's more of a byproduct of making 74% of his starts hitting cleanup or batting fifth than it is some incredible display of run production.

Let’s hope he miraculously finds the fountain of youth in 2024.

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