Astros Players Who Earned Superlatives During Team's Strong Month of May

The Houston Astros had several players perform at a high level over the last month.

May 28, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Josh Hader (71) delivers a pitch against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Daikin Park. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros got off to another slow start in the 2025 MLB regular season, but like they have done every time in recent years, they eventually found their way and got things on track.

They played at a high level in May, going 15-13 to climb back into the American League West race that has them sitting in first place entering play on June 5.

While the team waits for multiple key contributors to increase their production, they have received excellent performances from several other players who have stepped up and helped keep the team afloat.

Which players stood out the most?

Here are some Astros who earned superlatives for their stellar play in the month of May.

MVP - Jeremy Pena

Houston has struggled to consistently score runs this season, which isn’t all too surprising when considering they lost third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency to the Boston Red Sox and traded right fielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs.

Replacing the production of two All-Stars is not easy, especially when expected contributors such as designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, left fielder Jose Altuve, catcher Yainer Diaz and first baseman Christian Walker are performing so poorly.

But Pena has ascended to All-Star status and has helped keep the offense afloat with excellent production.

He had a strong April and carried that into May with a .327/.380/.518 slash line, hitting five home runs, four doubles and one triple with 18 RBI with four stolen bases.

Pena has been incredibly consistent over the first few years of his career, but is ascending to stardom in 2025.

Cy Young - Josh Hader

Starting pitchers Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown were both under strong consideration for this spot. They are the last two standing from the Opening Day rotation, with injuries ravaging the pitching staff.

Both were worthy of being named the May Cy Young winner, but it is the Astros’ closer who claims the award with a truly dominant month.

Hader made nine appearances, recording six saves. He threw nine innings, allowing only one earned run, looking more like the dominant closer Houston thought they were signing ahead of the 2024 campaign.

His strikeouts have begun ticking back up, registering a 15.0 K/9 in May while still keeping his walks and home runs allowed in check.

Most Improved - Cam Smith

Center fielder Jake Meyers was a candidate for this spot, turning around his offensive production in a major way when the team needed it most.

But it is the top prospect who receives the mantle of Most Improved after a tough start to his rookie year has started to turn around.

Learning a new position and excelling at it is hard enough. Smith being able to handle that while adjusting to MLB pitching after not appearing in a game above Double-A prior to his MLB debut speaks volumes to just how talented he is.

In May, he recorded a .307/.388/.400 slash line with seven doubles. The power stroke he showed during spring training hasn’t quite translated with zero homers during the month and only three on the year, but he is making legitimate strides at the plate.