Buyer’s remorse is the feeling of regret, anxiety, or guilt that can arise after making a purchase/investment…
After 106 games, a 60-46 record, a 4.0 lead for the A.L. West(2.5 for A.L. Wild Card), an 8-12 record in their last 20 games(4-6 in their last 10), 18 guys on I.L., a hall of fame closer, and a partridge in a pear tree, the Houston Astros of 2025 have had their fill of highs and lows you could say. A team that has swept/nearly swept every 1st place team in the N.L. at one point has also been the team to get swept by teams like the Guardians and most recently the A’s who have no home stadium and a rookie phenom named Nick Kurtz to (Who I’m glad to not have to see again until September 23rd at the earliest, if it’s the Lord’s will).
They have done this with very good to sometimes elite starting pitching, and timely enough hitting to sustain winning streaks and build up division leads like the one they have had since May 30th. However, the one caveat to the successes, and now one of the biggest reasons for their recent struggles, is that they have been doing it with a now MLB leading 18 players on the I.L., including 8 starting pitchers. For the majority of the season, the Astros have not had the services of players like Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Peña, Christian Javier, J.P. France, Luis Garcia, Jake Meyers fairly recently, and now Isaac Paredes and Lance McCullers…again.
No one thought that the run of success they had against the likes of the Phillies, TIgers, Cubs, and Dodgers would continue to last with guys like Taylor Trammell, Cooper Hummel, and Zack Short playing everyday. However, what fans and media also didn’t expect was for there to be a number of key veterans who would under perform for almost the entirety of their collective season. And to be even more specific, these are key veterans who were recently, and handsomely, paid by the Astros brass. Their struggles have come from a combination of inconsistency at the plate, defensive concerns, and overall expectations.
All of these combined have resulted in players who aren’t pulling their weight most nights, whose successes are seldom celebrated because they tend to find their ways right back into the proverbial cellar in short order, and a front office who, if they were put on a lie detector today, would probably express some concerns about the long-term effects of those contracts on the chance(s) of future financial flexibility and success for the team. The two biggest examples of this would come down to Christian Walker and unfortunately…… Jose Altuve. *ducks* Here’s why, starting with Walker:
(Stats after 106 games, rank against all 1B)
AVG: .236 (18th)
OBP: .295 (19th)
SLG: .382 (18th)
OPS: .677 (19th)
H: 90 (13th)
RBI: 53 (11th)
HR: 13 (11th)
WAR: -0.6 (Still too low to rank)
*In total 1B production, the Astros still rank near the bottom in MLB in various major offensive statistical categories*
(21st in AVG, 25th in OBP, 22nd in OPS)
As a preface, I really liked Christian Walker as a fit for this team at 3 years/$60million. I especially liked the idea of acquiring his services as a palate cleanser following the debacle of Jose Abreu’s deterioration at the position after only 1.5 years into his time as an Astro. However, it’s that same context that has led to Christian Walker being looked at with a fine toothed comb by fans and media all season thus far. It’s the same context that, as I type this, has many very weary of the idea of him as a long term fit, seeing as though he has been consistently inconsistent at the plate throughout the course of this year’s campaign. It’s even driven many across X and the Astro-sphere to pine for the days of Jose Abreu again, claiming that Walker has not been better than Abreu by this point in their seasons.
Alright, let’s test the hypothesis then. Let’s compare Abreu’s 1st season to where Christian Walker is right now:
By this time in 2023, Jose Abreu’s stats were:
AVG: .242
OBP: .295
SLG: .353
OPS: .648
H: 93
RBI: 53
HR: 10
Well, look at that. It seems like neither Walker or Abreu were that prolific by this time in their respective seasons. Sure, Abreu had a slightly higher AVG and number of hits, but Walker beats him in power with 3 more homers and a slightly higher SLG%. If anything, they’re the same player in a lot of ways, and therein lies the problem.
Christian Walker was not expected to be Barry Bonds. However, he was signed to offer a better solution to the position after the unceremonious dismissal of the aforementioned Cuban first baseman, and so far he has only brought in mixed results(and that’s being a bit generous). And for a team that has been injury depleted since the beginning of the season, with Walker being one of the only healthy bodies who’s played most of the year, it’s fallen on him all the more to be a player that the team can depend on to help them weather the storm. So far, that has not happened. And unfortunately for him, the Jose Abreu experience is still fresh enough on people’s minds to where he will not receive the benefit of the doubt like he probably should. All fans and media see right now is yet another mid-30’s infielder who was brought in to be a solution to a problem that’s existed since 2022 with the departure of previous Cuban first baseman and multi-time WS champion, Yuli Gurriel. (Really, 2021 if we’re honest) I’m in no way speaking for the front office or Dana Brown when I say this, but I’m pretty sure that they also probably don’t like the prospect of seeing another $20+ million/year down the drain after 1.5 seasons due to extended poor performance.
And now… we have to talk about this generation’s G.O.A.T. and quite possibly the best Astro in franchise history.. Jose Altuve. *ducks again*
(Stats after 106 games, rank against all LF)
AVG: .280 (4th) (.245 w/ RISP)
OBP: .343 (6th) (.307 w/ RISP)
SLG: .460 (8th) (.408 w/ RISP)
OPS: .803 (6th) (.715 w/ RISP)
H: 109 (4th) (24 w/ RISP)
RBI: 53 (9th) (35 w/ RISP)
HR: 17 (9th) (3 w/ RISP)
WAR: 0.7 ( too low to rank)
In the offseason, Jose Altuve signed what was essentially a “retire as an Astro” contract by agreeing to a 5 year/$125 million deal, tying him to the organization through the 2029 season. At the time, it was seen as a win-win for both sides, with the Astros locking in the embodiment of their “Golden Era”, and Altuve being given the chance to finish his career where it started, and also with a chance to reach 3,000 career hits.(currently at 2,340)
If you look at the stats above, one might think that this section is an overreaction and how dare some random internet sports writer guy make up click-bait about the Venezuelan answer to Ichiro Suzuki. However, if you look a little closer, you’ll notice one of the reasons for my concern about his contract situation both now and for the future, and that is his effectiveness with runners in scoring position. (And by extension, my confidence that he is still able to continue to be a game changer for his team as his career winds to a close) As it currently stands, Jose’s numbers drop across the board when it comes to making an impact when there are opportunities to do real damage in the batter’s box. Not only that, but here are some data points from baseball savant to further highlight some of the finer details of my observations with Altuve’s performance this year:
And also, here are his numbers compared to his previous 2 seasons:
Frankly, I partly don’t want to be the one to write into this conversation, but my aim is to be as objective as possible about what I see on the field, as well as what the numbers may suggest. Jose Altuve is an all-time great, regardless of team and regardless of sport. He is one of the greatest sports stories in our city’s history, as well as a multi-time champion, former A.L. MVP, future MLB Hall of Famer, and one of the most relatable and down to earth athletes you could meet.
His name will forever be etched in stone in the house that guys like Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Billy Wagner helped to build. In saying that, there’s a pretty good chance that we’re finally starting to notice a bit of a decline in his game. Not necessarily in speed or ability to hit the occasional homer, but in his consistent ability to impact games in such a way that, to quote Joe Davis, “turns them upside down!
Every all-time great goes through this, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and now Lebron James even. Heck, he was moved to left field this off season due to concerns about his ability to field his original position at 2nd base. Whether or not it’s age related is beyond my jurisdiction, however, the fact remains that Jose Altuve has been experiencing a lot of change in response to what are now developing issues with his ability to perform at the highest level when called upon. He’s also hitting in the 3-hole for the most part, the lowest he’s hit consistently in the order for years.
My point is, it’s perfectly natural for this to be the conversation about an all-timer near the end of their career, but the combination of him, Christian Walker, the team’s injuries, and the constant pursuit of a World Series, you can’t help but consider how strained things must be in the Astros front office when it comes to how their spending has affected both the short and long term health of the team.
Hopefully some things turn around before they really get out of hand, because both of these guys seem to not be going anywhere due to the length and, in Altuve’s case, the sentimental value of their contracts. Here’s hoping Christian Walker changes the narrative at first base, and that Jose Altuve can ride into the sunset gracefully as the G.O.A.T. that he is, and hopefully with another championship or two to boot.
(All stats, references, charts, and data provided by: baseball-reference.com, ESPN.com, MLB.com, and Spotrac.com )
Clayton Anderson / Houston Sports Fan since 08’
- Christian, Husband, Father, Eater of gumbo
- B.A. English
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