Houston Astros should embrace their heel identity
If there’s a clear villain in the MLB postseason narrative, that’s the Houston Astros, but instead of playing the victim, they should welcome the hate with open arms.
First things first: The Astros cheated. They won the 2017 World Series by using a system that involves a laughable sign-stealing scheme, and they’re still suspicious of doing the same through 2018 and 2019. It was revealed and confirmed, and the ensuing scandal will stain the MLB for all eternity, the same way racial segregation and the steroid era did. No matter what they do or how many titles they win, nothing will erase that.
On the other hand, they’re still a pretty great baseball team, even if they had a rough 2020 season. The Astros’ batting order has always been a nightmare to pitch to, comprised of MVP-caliber — and possibly Hall-of-Fame-bound — performers, like Alex Bregman, George Springer and José Altuve, a consistently clutch Carlos Correa and perhaps the most reliable hitter in the AL in Michael Brantley.
The pitching, despite losing Gerritt Cole to the Evil Empire, has held its own, and new protagonists like lefty Framber Valdez, who had a respectable 5-3 record, with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.18WHIP, and the bullpen is getting even better.
Astros should embrace being the bad guy
They’re now in the ALCS, after decisively beating the Twins and the A’s, with the second and third-best record in the league. And most importantly, they have done this without Justin Verlander.
And yet, they’re still playing the victim. Multiple times, players like Martin Martin Maldonado and Correa himself have expressed that no one wants them to win, or complained about incidents like the Ramon Laureano bench-clearing brawl or the Joe Kelly fight. Also, new manager and notorious good guy Dusty Baker has been trying to clear the organization’s name, without much success. And, as expected: No one believes them.
The Houston Astros are the most hated team in baseball, they have been since the season started. No one wants them to win, indeed. But their postseason success has created the greatest narrative for October. And the team should embrace it.
Every good story needs a villain, and as mentioned even before we had a season, both the fans and the players should enjoy the hate. For the first time since their golden run, the Houston squad feels like they have something to prove. They seem hungry for shutting everyone up, especially the Los Angeles Dodgers, the supposed legitimate winners of the ’17 title. Even better, the time in which the organization bragged about the advanced playing system, the analytics and the smart leadership, is gone. Now they’re really fun to watch.
And what better time to continue such a great narrative than now; they’re facing the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS, and they’ve already thrown some shade at them. To make it even more exciting, the Rays are on revenge mode after the 2019 ALDS, in which Houston took the decisive match. If the Astros win, they could potentially face the Dodgers for a rematch of sorts. The entire league is counting on that — the story alone could boost baseball’s viewership and give this nightmare of a season a silver lining.
It’s time for the Astros to be the heel, to prove to everyone they’re the dynasty they think they are. And the fans should join the party. Sometimes hate is good, Astros. Go for it. Make them hate you more. After all, it’s fun to be the bad guy.