2015 Houston Astros preview
By Will Osgood
3 Players to Watch
- Chris Carter, DH
Chris Carter led the Astros in the two traditional power number categories last year with 37 home runs and 88 runs batted in. However, he hit just .227 and despite the monstrous power managed a slugging percentage under .500. His on-base percentage was garbage too, as just .308.
Two years ago, Carter struck out 212 times. He decreased that number to 182 last year, but that is of course still fairly high. According to Fan Graphs, Carter is by far at his best when he sees fastballs, though his ability to handle the curveball and slider improved in 2014.
He is also the quintessential power hitter, as he puts the ball in the air or a line drive on approximately 70 percent of balls he hits in fair territory. Of all fly balls he hits, between 20-25 percent of them leave the yard over the course of his career.
He is playing in the perfect ballpark for that kind of approach. If he can just up his contact rate and work a few more walks, he could become an All-Star and perhaps even an MVP candidate.
- Dallas Keuchel, SP
Quick question: Who won the American League Cy Young in 2014? You don’t know, right? It’s nothing to be ashamed of, most people wouldn’t. It was the Indians’ Corey Kluber. Interestingly, Kluber’s numbers were really good. But no one talked about him all year. I had no idea he was having such a good year.
The same could be said of Dallas Keuchel (heck, I probably heard more about Keuchel than Kluber to be honest). In 2014, Keuchel put together a season with a 2.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 3.21 FIP (fielding independent pitching) with 146 strikeouts in exactly 200 innings.
He averaged 3.04 Ks per walk given up, and 6.6 per nine innings. Meanwhile, he walked 2.2 per nine innings, which is solid, though ideally would improve for a staff ace. Keuchel proved in 2014, he is the Astros’ staff ace. If they are going to go anywhere in 2015, Keuchel must lead them to the promised land, at least in the pitching department.
The lefty has an arsenal which includes a fastball which tops out at 90 miles per hour, a slider about 10 miles per hour less, a curveball averaging about the same speed, and a 78 MPH changeup. But as any great pitcher does, Keuchel builds his repertoire around the fastball, throwing it 57.3 percent of the time in 2014. Then came the slider at 20.7 percent and changeup at 15.1.
Those three pitches are a devastating combination for opposing hitters. They are the primary reason that Keuchel could become Kluber in 2015—an unexpected Cy Young candidate.
- Jose Altuve, 2B
Jose Altuve was an All-Star and the AL batting average champion in 2014. It’s not as if Altuve is unknown to the die-hard baseball fan. He has clearly been Houston’s most productive player over the past few seasons. And in 2015, it appears he’ll finely be joined by others who can turn the Astros into a competitive team in the AL.
Like Carter, a competitive Astros team may mean more national recognition for Altuve. Altuve was named the “face of the Astros” in MLB Network’s annual bracket style tournament this offseason. But he lost in the first round for “face of the MLB” to the Athletics’ Sean Doolittle.
That should tell you everything you need to know about where the Astros are among MLB fans’ consciences. Altuve is one of the game’s best players. Doolittle is a good closer, but he wasn’t even the face of the A’s until they decided to fire sale third baseman Josh Donaldson earlier in the offseason.
A big part of Altuve’s success as a hitter is an outstanding eye, and great hand-eye coordination, as he rarely swings at a pitch in or outside the zone without making contact. That led to a ridiculous .360 BABIP a season ago (average on balls put in play). Of course it also indicates that he regularly hits the ball hard.
He is the Astros’ MVP, and with a great season for the team, he could move up the list for “face of MLB”, perhaps even earning some legitimate MVP votes.
Next: Keys to success for the 'Stros in 2015