Jose Altuve and these Astros disappointments are haunting Houston amid AL West collapse

Much like an empire, Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros’ mini-dynasty didn’t end in a day. 

Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the NL East champion Braves dropped the Astros to 77-79, and they’re 2.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race. Their tragic number entering Monday sits at four, though Houston is still only one game behind Texas for a share of first place in the AL West.

So, who are the biggest catalysts for the Astros’ failures? Jim Crane and the since-departed general manager Dana Brown obviously warrant blame, but they’re not the ones flailing at the plate or failing to hit the strike zone. Those responsibilities fall on the players whose Pythagorean win-loss record is 72-84. 

Typically with lists like these, we rank players alphabetically for ease. However, any and all conversations regarding the Astros’ collapse must begin with Altuve, who has become the latest face of how not to handle contract extensions.

Jose Altuve, 2B

We’ve said enough about Altuve lately, so we won’t spend too much time repeating ourselves. The bottom line is that Brown and Astros ownership prioritized sentiment over reality, which almost never works when a multi-year contract is involved. 

In fairness to Altuve, he hit a solo home run on Sunday, but he’s still managed a below-average 700 OPS through 18 September games. If it’s any consolation, he’ll only make $33 million next year before his salary drops to $13 million for his final two seasons. But at this point, why would you have any hope in him being at least a 1bWAR player moving forward?

Cam Smith, RF

Smith initially escaped our wrath because he’s 23 years old and is in his first full season. But there is no defending a player with a .276 on-base percentage and a .667 OPS through nearly 550 plate appearances. Remember: Smith was the main piece acquired in the Kyle Tucker trade. 

If you’re looking for reasons why the Astros have been so cold of late, look no further than their young right fielder. Smith went 0-for-4 on Sunday afternoon, giving him nine hits in 59 September plate appearances. He’s had seven consecutive games without a hit, and that’s not a typo. There are pitchers who wouldn’t look that feeble at the plate, and we’re not even thinking of Carlos Zambrano or Mike Hampton. 

Christian Walker, 1B

Walker might seem like an odd pick, but hear us out. On the one hand, he's provided the Astros with 25 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 25 doubles. His .704 OPS is 16 points below average, but at least it’s not as bad as Smith’s .667 mark. 

​​The problem: Walker entered Sunday with a .295 on-base percentage in over 600 plate appearances, and the league average is .319. As with Smith, how can anyone justify that kind of production? Oh, and the Astros owe him $20 million in guaranteed money next year. Wonderful. Did we mention that he has a six-team no-trade clause? 

Cristian Javier, SP

The good times are over for Javier, who has a 4.75 ERA in 132.2 innings since the start of 2024. He's averaging 20 walks over 44.1 innings in that time, and he's been worth 0.6 bWAR. Luckily for the Astros, he'll hit free agency following next season, though he’s slated to earn $21.4 million. Could Houston find a suitor via salary dump? 

We’re hesitant to call Javier's 2022 season, when he had a 2.54 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 148.2 innings, an aberration. But there’s no denying he’s been a waste of a roster spot the last few years. 

Tatsuya Imai, SP

Between Imai, Roki Sasaki, and the Rockies’ Tomoyuki Sagano, what’s going on with Japanese pitchers? Sasaki’s control issues are well-documented, and he owns a 4.60 ERA, a 9.4 walk rate, and barely averages five innings per start. You can’t even pin the Coors Field effect on Sagano, who entered Sunday with a 5.64 ERA in 68.2 innings away from Colorado.

Let’s get back to Imai, who has a 5.13 ERA in 21 games (15 starts) and has walked 51 hitters in 73.2 innings. Not even Sasaki has been that bad, and we’ve repeatedly called him out for his inability to avoid issuing free passes. There's no reason for him to opt out when he's guaranteed nearly $19 million next year.

Very rarely do Japanese pitchers who struggle in their rookie season turn things around. Daisuke Matsuzaka was fine with the Red Sox in 2007, took a massive step forward in 2008, and was worth -0.3 bWAR over the next four years. Yankees fans of a certain age will remember the Kei Igawa experiment.

Tough luck, Astros. 

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