4 Major Surprises for Houston Astros During Mixed Bag First Month of Season

The Houston Astros have had some major surprises arise during the first month of the season.

Apr 29, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) reacts after flying out during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Daikin Park. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros got off to another slow start, something that has become the norm for them out of the gate of the MLB season.

But, just as they have done previously, they were able to stabilize a little bit by the end of April. Despite not winning back-to-back games until April 18 and 19, they are now 16-14, right in the thick of the early playoff picture in the American League.

Only time will tell if the Astros will be able to keep their streak alive of winning the AL West and making the postseason, as some early-season signs are not overly positive.

But, for every negative surprise the team has had to deal with, there has been a positive one. Here are four of the biggest over the first month of the campaign.

Hunter Brown Is a Star

From May 2024 through the end of that regular season, there were only two starting pitchers in baseball who had a lower ERA than Brown: Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves, who won the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards, respectively.

There was skepticism about whether or not that performance was a fluke, but he has put to rest any doubts with the start he has gotten off to in 2025.

Brown has a 1.7 WAR across his first six starts with a 1.22 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 37 innings. His 1.83 FIP is the best in the AL and hall of his metrics are improved across the board.

If the Astros lose Framber Valdez in free agency, they can rest easy knowing they have someone to step into the ace role he has assumed for years.

Offensive Power Outage

Replacing the production of third baseman Alex Bregman and right fielder Kyle Tucker was going to be a tall task. They are both All-Stars and elite performers.

Without them, the offensive production has tanked.

Houston is below average in virtually every offensive statistic. They have hit only 25 home runs and 38 doubles, with essentially the entire team going through a power outage.

Catcher Yainer Diaz and first baseman Christian Walker, their splash addition in free agency, have both struggled mightily. They are two of eight players who have an OPS+ under the league average of 100.

Cam Smith’s Defense

The Astros were taking a huge risk coming into the season with their defensive alignment. All eyes were on Jose Altuve, who was moving from second base to left field. But, he wasn’t the only infielder making a move to the grass.

Opposite of him in right field is rookie Cam Smith, who was a third baseman when the team acquired him from the Chicago Cubs as part of the Tucker blockbuster. He only started playing the outfield for a few weeks in spring training before making the Opening Day roster in Tucker’s spot and has been excellent.

His +1 Fielding Run Value is incredibly impressive given his lack of experience out there. Smith has the highest Range Factor per game according to Baseball Reference, and his total zone fielding above average and defensive runs saved are both positive.

Relying heavily on his athleticism, the team is even tossing around the idea of him playing some center field.

Yordan Alvarez

Seeing a slugger struggle to the extent that Alvarez has out of the gate is rare.

He has turned into one of the most feared hitters in the game over the last few seasons, making the All-Star team three straight years and finishing in the top 13 of the MVP race each campaign as well.

Thus far this season, he isn’t performing like an MVP with a .219/.316/.354 slash line with three home runs and a team-high 18 RBI.

Houston needs him to get back on track if this offense has any chance of kicking out of the neutral state it has been stuck in for the first month of the season.