Hi guys, it’s Ari Alexander with the Astros newsletter. It’s been an... interesting week, but it ended well for the local nine, so let’s get into it.
ALTUVE ON A HEATER
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Jose Altuve is one of the best hitters in baseball. We know this already. He’s taken it to another level early this season.
He’s hitting .382 through 17 games. That’s 2nd in baseball.
He’s OPS’ing 1.182. That’s 4th in baseball.
.721 slugging. 4th in baseball.
.462 on base, 7th in baseball.
1.0 Wins Above Replacement, 9th in baseball.
He’s one of only 12 players in MLB with 5 or more home runs this early.
The pace he’s on is unsustainable, but we know he can win a batting title (he’s done it three times), and we know he can hit 30 home runs (he’s done that twice).
“You follow the steps of guys like that,” said Jeremy Peña Sunday.
“The stuff he does, it doesn’t stop surprising you,” said Mauricio Dubon.
VERLANDER IS GETTING CLOSE
Justin Verlander is likely to come back Friday and start in the Astros’ road game in Washington against the Nationals. That’s if all is good with his health after his Saturday’s Double-A appearance, where he threw 77 pitches.
It went poorly, again, for Verlander, who gave up 6 runs and 5 earned in 4 innings. He was similarly lit up in Sugar Land, so it will be interesting to see if he can return to his normal form when facing big league hitters.
LOPERFIDO WATCH
The Astros most exciting prospect at the moment is Triple-A outfielder/first baseman Joey Liperfido. Loperfido currently leads minor league baseball with 10 home runs, including a three-homer game over the weekend.
With Jose Abreu struggling (.111 batting average, .313 OPS, -0.7 WAR), and Jon Singleton not playing much better (.665 OPS, 2 extra base hits), the Astros have been playing Joey Loperfido more at first base, with 4 of his last 8 games, including a string of three in a row coming at first base.
Loperfido is hitting .333 with a 1.324 OPS, but his strikeout rate is astronomical in a hitter’s league, which could translate to difficulty against major league pitching. Based on his overall performance, it’s a matter of “when” and not “if” Loperfido will be on the Astros in the first half of 2024.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Astros host the Atlanta Braves, one of the best teams in baseball for a three-game set at Minute Maid Park starting Monday. Monday is Jackie Robinson Day, celebrating the baseball legend and groundbreaking player. All players will wear #42.