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Inside the Astros

MLB Media Downplays Astros Early Season Surge In Week 1 Power Rankings

The Houston Astros are winning games early on the season, and media is still unimpressed.
Jeremy Gretzer|
Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) is congratulated by Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) after hitting a three-run home run to left field against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning at Daikin Park.
Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) is congratulated by Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) after hitting a three-run home run to left field against the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning at Daikin Park. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

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Houston Astros

Week 1 of the 2026 MLB season is in the books. For the Houston Astros, fans and media had question marks on how their season would fare given the unfortunate end to the 10-year playoff streak ending last year. Following suit, the Seattle Mariners took over the AL West.

Astros Off To A Blazing Start

After seven games, and the Astros look fantastic thus far, leading the AL West with a 5-2 record. They currently lead the American League in runs scored (45), OBP (.378), SLG (.464) and RBIs, along with leading the majors in hits (63), pitcher strikeouts (84), and doubles (19). Although a small sample size, this offensive output Houston is putting across is very promising to start the regular season.

It wasn't looking pretty losing to the Los Angeles Angels in the first two games of the season, scoring just two runs. Since then they split the next two games, scoring 20 runs combined and then supplemented that with a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox.

Notable position players in Christian Walker, Joey Loperfido, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Yordan Alvarez are off to hot starts. Although the rotation is left with minor concerns, Astros ace in Hunter Brown has only given up 1 run in his two starts thus far. More importantly, Lance McCullers Jr. turned back the clock in his best start in four seasons, logging in seven innings of one-run baseball and nine strikeouts.

Baseball Media Isn't Impressed Yet

All that is to say that after 1 week, the ESPN power rankings questionably slot the Astros as the 14th best team in the league.

According to ESPN, the Astros, given their hot start to the year, are ranked in the middle of the pack. They spent the entire discussion to talk about McCullers' outing, and rightfully so. Yet, they barely mentioned the Astros offense and left out Yordan Alvarez, who appears to be back in MVP-season form.

Why Astros Missed Playoffs

Notably, Alvarez is batting .417 and a whopping 1.479 OPS in seven games to start 2026. Against the Red Sox, he went 6-for-11 (.545 AVG), with 2 homers and 4 RBIs. This blazing start to the year is exactly what the doctor ordered to keep pushing back the 2025 season in the rear view mirror.

Like many other Astros players, "Air Yordan" was a non-factor last year, primarily due to a litany of injuries. The Astros slugger played just 48 games last season, unable to help the Astros maintain playoff contention.

It wasn't just him that spent a majority of the season on the IL. Nineteen Astros--an MLB record--were sidelined with injuries, making it ever more challenging for Houston to win ballgames. And yet, they ended up with 87 wins, three games behind the Mariners for first place and tied third with the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card. Detroit won the tiebreaker which inevitably pushed Houston out of playoff contention.

It's arguable that injuries were the main factor that led to the Astros setback season. Apparently, ESPN took that to heart and declared Houston's playoff era as concluded after a solid season mired with injuries. That's likely why they are slotted in the middle of the pack. Even so, Boston, a team they just swept who is now 1-5 to start the year, is ranked twelfth best in the league, two slots above the Astros. That discrepancy however, can be partially explained by Boston’s playoff appearance last year.

What simply cannot be ignored where the Texas Rangers are slotted. ESPN ranked them eleventh in power rankings, ahead of Houston by three slots. Behind Houston by a half game in the young season, they haven't made the playoffs since 2023. This further highlights the inconsistency in how these teams are being evaluated early on.

In just over a year, people seem to forget that a healthy Astros lineup has the makings of a World Series contender. If Houston keeps this surge of winning ball games to start the year, surely ESPN will correct their mistake and start believing that Space City is back to dominate the league.

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Jeremy Gretzer
JEREMY GRETZER

Jeremy Gretzer joins Minute Media/Sports Illustrated with a unique background that blends creativity from the performing arts with real experience in sports journalism. Born and raised in Houston, Jeremy has always had a deep connection to the local sports scene, especially the Astros and Rockets. He previously covered the Houston Rockets as a beat reporter for ClutchPoints, where he spent more than a year interviewing players, attending media days, and reporting on the team. He also spent time with Back Sports Page, where he strengthened his writing, editing, and social media skills and eventually grew into an editor role. In addition, he contributed to FanSided’s Astros site Climbing Tal’s Hill, giving him valuable experience covering both the NBA and MLB. Jeremy has been involved in sports journalism on and off since 2022, and over that time he has written articles, handled digital coverage, and created content across multiple platforms. He also shares Astros commentary and baseball storytelling on his TikTok page, where he continues to build an active and engaged audience. Now returning his focus to baseball coverage, Jeremy brings passion, authenticity, and a true Houston perspective to SI’s Astros reporting

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