It's no secret that the Houston Astros have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 MLB season so far, and not in a good way. The Astros' record in 2024, though early, has been shocking.
We're talking about a team that has won the AL West in six of the last seven years and made the World Series three times in the last five years. However, they have been one of the worst teams in the MLS so far.
Is it too early to worry about the stars?
So what exactly is Houston's problem and should we be worried about the Astros? After all, this is baseball and anything can happen over 162 games. While there is plenty of time for the Astros to turn things around, here are some signs for fans to watch for that will make it clear that we should be worried about the Astros becoming MLB's biggest disappointment in 2024.
Pitch injuries continue
Every additional injury to a member of Houston's starting lineup is another small nail in the coffin. Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. won't be back anytime soon, while Framber Valdez and Jose Urquidi will also be sidelined. Cristian Javier is the latest Houston starter to arrive to the IL, which was after Justin Verlander's season started late.
Part of the problem is that there is no way to know which pitchers will be able to stay healthy once they return. Verlander, in particular, poses a health risk because of his age. Even if Valdez, Urquide and Javier return, if they are injured again, it will cause a problem.
Another problem for Houston is that young starters like Hunter Brown, J.B. France, and Spencer Arrigetti struggled early in the year. Brown, in particular, has been one of the top candidates to breakout in the MLB this season. He and France performed poorly in April. If the Astros can't keep their starters healthy and can't get better performances from their younger starters, there's not much they can do to turn things around.
The blown save continues
The season is less than a month old, and the Astros have already racked up more than a few saves, accounting for more than a quarter of their games during the first part of the season. Josh Hader received a lot of negative attention for his failures after signing a huge deal over the offseason. But it's not the only problem in Houston. Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu also have inflated ERAs compared to what the Astros expect from them.
The obvious solution is for those set pieces to perform better. Over the course of an entire season, things have to balance out in the end. Hader, Presley and Abreu should get on the right track sooner or later. However, the Astros have fallen behind so much early that they can't let winnable games slip through their hands. If the blown bailouts continue, it will be a sign that this is not Houston's year.
The stars continue to struggle
There's no denying that the Astros lineup has some heavy hitters. Jose Altuve is already one of the greatest second basemen in MLB history and is off to an incredible start. Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez have also been productive while Jeremy Pena has had a promising start offensively as well. However, veterans Jose Abreu and Alex Bregman were in poor form early in the year.
This simply cannot happen to the type of player who continues to struggle. The Astros are a solid offensive team, but they don't have the same level of depth as previous Houston teams that have gone to the World Series. They need Abreu and Bregman to start the attack to support Altuve, Tucker and Alvarez. Given Houston's shooting woes, there is more pressure on the offense. The longer it takes for Abreu and Bregman to wake up, the more worried the Astros will become.
