Four Massive Overreactions to Astros Alarmingly Slow Start This Season

The start of the 2025 season has been a mixed bag for the Houston Astros.

They knew, coming into the campaign, that there were a few question marks that would have to be answered, especially when it came to replacing the talent that departed this offseason. Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Justin Verlander, Alex Pressly and Yusei Kikuchi all departed via free agency or trade.

Thus far, replacing the two homegrown stars in the lineup has been unsuccessful. Converted second baseman Jose Altuve is the only starter through six games who was hitting over .200. Jake Meyers was the only one who was at the Mendoza Line, hitting exactly .200.

A 2-4 start at home is far from ideal, though the Astros did improve to 3-4 with a win over Minnesota. That led to some hot takes being shared.

Here are four massive overreactions to the Astros’ alarmingly slow start this season.

Christian Walker is Jose Abreu Version 2

Ahead of the 2023 season, Houston thought they had addressed their need at first base, signing Jose Abreu away from the Chicago White Sox. He had been on the MVP ballot five out of the previous six years, winning the award in 2020, earning two All-Star nods and two Silver Slugger Awards over the same period of time.

Alas, upon his arrival with the Astros, his production fell off a cliff. Things got so bad in 2024, he was released less than halfway through his contract, likely bringing his MLB career to a close.

To replace him, the team signed veteran Christian Walker in free agency away from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Another mid-30s veteran taking over at first base created deja vu for the fan base and his slow start is giving them nightmares.

Walker is 3-for-24 to start his Houston career and he has not yet flashed the Gold Glove Award-winning defense he possesses.

Astros Have Worst Second Base Situation in Baseball

When rumors began swirling that Altuve was going to move to left field, it was with the caveat that Bregman was returning. A spot in the infield would be needed with Isaac Paredes being acquired as part of the Tucker blockbuster from the Chicago Cubs.

Alas, the transition wasn’t dependent on the star third basemen returning, as the team remained committed to it all throughout spring training. After logging 15,228.1 innings at the keystone, he was taking over in left field.

That created a huge void at second base, which now might be the worst situation in baseball. Brendan Rodgers and Mauricio Dubon, handling most the reps in Altuve’s place, have a -0.3 WAR combined through six games. Dubon is hitless in six at-bats while Rodgers is 2-for-12.

Cam Smith’s Spring Training Hype Was Overblown

The top prospect was the talk of the baseball world during the exhibition season, smashing home runs for viral highlights. A first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, his ascension is an impressive one.

However, his slow start has some wondering whether or not the Astros were too aggressive giving him the starting right field spot on Opening Day.

He has been playing the outfield for only a few weeks, traditionally a third baseman. Smith has looked a bit overmatched in the early going with only two hits in 11 at-bats with four strikeouts.

Astros Have Worst Offense in Baseball

Taking a look at the team’s overall performance and this one doesn’t seem to be too much of an overreaction.

Houston has a slash line of .178/.270/.222 in 205 plate appearances. Their position players have combined for an abysmal -0.1 WAR. Chas McCormick and Altuve have an OPS+ of 125 and 186. The next closest is 68 by the rookie Smith.

Four players, Dubon, Walker, Zach Dezenzo and Yainer Diaz, have negative OPS+ numbers. It can’t remain this bad for too much longer, right?

Christian Walker is Jose Abreu Version 2

Astros Have Worst Second Base Situation in Baseball

Cam Smith’s Spring Training Hype Was Overblown

Astros Have Worst Offense in Baseball

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