MIDSEASON ROY

How Astros Rookie of the Year debate just got a lot more intriguing

The Houston Astros have dealt with their fair share of injuries so far this season, and while it's made things much more difficult in some aspects, it's also given young players an opportunity to prove themselves.

So which Astros rookie should take home the midseason ROY hardware? On the offensive side of the ball, Yainer Diaz appears to be the front-runner over Corey Julks.

The injury to Yordan Alvarez has given Diaz the chance to play regularly, and he's come through and added some pop in the lineup. He currently has 8 home runs (7 in his last 30 games) and is sporting an .754 OPS.

If only Dusty would start him more often at catcher over Martin Maldonado, whose defensive skills have diminished this season and is hitting an underwhelming .171 with a .536 OPS.

Raising the bar

The other top two candidates are starting pitchers Hunter Brown and JP France. You can't really go wrong with either pitcher. France's numbers (3.13 ERA) are a little better than Brown's (3.76 ERA), but he has only started 10 games to Brown's 16.

So who do you believe has earned Astros ROY at the midpoint of the season?

Be sure to check out the video as we share our thoughts on the team's best rookie.

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After another poor performance from former Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson, the Cleveland Browns' season is starting to look like an uphill climb. Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb is out for the year, and Cleveland fans aren't too pleased with the way Watson is playing, especially considering the massive contract extension he signed with the team. And we didn't even get to the off the field drama that comes with Watson.

However, Houston fans are invested in the Browns' season outcome as well, with the Texans holding the Browns' first round pick in 2024, and having sent their own first rounder to the Cardinals in the Will Anderson trade.

So each loss for the Browns, means a better draft pick for the Texans!

For Houston, it looks like they have their QB of the future in CJ Stroud. And he'll be on a less expensive rookie contract for the next several years, giving the Texans more cap space to upgrade the roster.

With all of this in mind, is it fair to question if the Texans dodged a bullet when Watson demanded a trade?

DeMeco Ryans vs. Lovie Smith

Plus, we're only two games into the season, but Lovie Smith's defense was much better (with a similar roster) than what DeMeco Ryans' defense has shown thus far, and DeMeco has the benefit of Will Anderson rushing the QB.

Are the struggles on defense more about the roster GM Nick Caserio has put together, or does this slow start fall on DeMeco?

Don't miss the video above as we break it all down!

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