MLB Insiders: Houston Astros’ Offense That’s “Not Doing That Bad” Bogged Down By Underperforming Jose Abreu and Alex Bregman

Slowly questions are being raised on Alex Bregman’s slow start for the Houston Astros. The team is currently sitting 5th in AL West with a 7-19 record. That has led to a lot of finger-pointing. However, the two players who’ve found themselves at the center of fans’ fury are Bregman and Jose Abreu. But how deep do their issues run? A top analyst has answered that question. 

While Bregman’s slow start isn’t surprising (he’s one of the few players who has always started slowly) the level of it has certainly raised a few eyebrows. No one expected the former All-Star to start his walk-year in such a manner. Similarly, Abreu’s currently batting at just .081 average (5 hits in 62 at-bats). What makes the bad form of Bregman and Abreu stand out is that the rest of the Astros’ lineup is actually not doing that badly. 

JM Baseball‘s Trevor Plouffe and Steven Brault discussed the Astros’ current predicament in Baseball Today. The two noted that the Astros’ hitting is getting bogged down by the untimely loss of form of some of their most important players. “Their offense is actually not doing that bad, besides Jose Abreu, of which everybody knows. But also I feel people aren’t talking enough about Bregman. He hasn’t hit a home run yet, his OPS is in the 500s…That’s not good,” Brault said. 

Steven Brault shared a surprising stat. For all their struggles the Astros’ batters rank 6th in the league on batting average. More importantly, they’re 3rd in total hits. That highlights the kind of bad luck that the Astronauts are facing. However, the analysts highlighted that the Astros have only themselves to blame.

Apart from Kyle Tucker, no other player is hitting during clutch situations. The Astros remain in a dire situation. They’re in a historical slump and things need to change quickly. With the team’s long-term plans being questioned – is there anything that the Astros can do?

Houston Astros’ historical slump raises questions over long-term plans 

For the Astros this 7-19 start isn’t just their worst of the past few years, this is the worst start in decades. The last time the Astronauts started a season as badly as this was in 1969 when the then-NL franchise finished their first 26 games with a 6-20 record. As a result, speculations have begun about whether the Astros might finally turn into a selling team this season.

Alex Bregman’s deal ends after this season, could the Astros be shipping him off to get whatever prospects they can get? While speculation is rife, there’s no confirmation about that situation yet. With the Astros’ streak of consecutive ALCS in danger (7 consecutive years), the team needs to rediscover its lost mojo. But how long will it take? The answers will arrive soon.