HIGH HEAT
Here are the Astros initial insights and impressions after facing Josh Hader
Feb 20, 2024, 1:01 pm
HIGH HEAT
The Houston Astros are hard at work preparing for the upcoming season and one of the hottest topics of conversation revolves around the club's new closer, Josh Hader.
Hader was signed to a 5-year, $95 million contract this offseason, cementing the Astros 'pen as one of the best in baseball. Houston is no stranger to having a dominant closer, with Ryan Pressly taking the ball in the ninth inning for the last several years.
But now with Pressly moving to a role as setup man, and Bryan Abreu ready to shut teams down in the seventh inning, the Astros can shorten games with their elite arms.
So what are the first impressions of Hader?
According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Alex Bregman said, “he looked great.”'
Below, you can watch Bregman taking some swings against him.
Hader vs. Alex Bregman pic.twitter.com/IlWJ1LaILC
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) February 19, 2024
As you can see from the video, Hader didn't allow any hard contact to the Astros superstar third baseman.
Jeremy Pena and Jon Singleton also had the opportunity to face Hader. According to McTaggart, Pena said, “I'm glad he's on our team.”
So are we, Jeremy, so are we!
And speaking of Pena, we got our first glimpse of what his new swing looks like. He made good contract against Ryan Pressly on Monday.
That’s a … really different look from Jeremy Peña, who has quieted his batting stance down a ton. Makes good contact here in a live BP against Ryan Pressly. pic.twitter.com/pDCO3OlQtJ
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 19, 2024
A bounce-back season from Pena would pay huge dividends for the Astros lineup. His drastic loss of power from 2022 to 2023 had many fans and media scratching their heads. He hit 12 less home runs in 2023 while playing in 14 more games that season.
Jeremy Peña, no context needed: “I’m not completely getting rid of the wag, I’m just controlling it a little bit better.” -https://t.co/1ynd1DTKdL
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 19, 2024
For a more in-depth look at how Pena is overhauling his swing, check out Chandler Rome's column above. From what is being reported by Rome, the adjustments are still a work in progress. Especially the footwork. But overall, Astros manager Joe Espada is encouraged by what he's seeing from Pena so far this spring.
When DeMeco Ryans became coach of the Houston Texans before last season, the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker brought his swarm defense with him.
It’s an identity the Texans have embraced as they prepare for their second straight trip to the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday where they’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs.
“You really can’t go out there if you’re not about it,” Ryans said.
And while every member of the defense has bought into Ryans’ aggressive style, there is one player who epitomizes it like no one else.
“Will every time,” cornerback Derek Stingley said of defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
Anderson, last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, has taken his game to another level this season and had 1½ sacks last week after piling up 11 in the regular season.
He described what playing swarm defense means to him.
“Do whatever it takes to get the ball, attacking the ball,” Anderson said. “We’ve got this saying in our D-line room; ‘who gonna pop it off?’ Whoever pops it off first, that’s swarming. Like who’s gonna make the big play? And I feel like there’s a lot of guys on defense that pop it off, who swarm.”
The Texans intercepted Justin Herbert a career-high four times, including one which was returned for a score, in last week’s win over the Chargers after he had been picked off just three times all season. Houston’s four takeaways in the first week of the playoffs are tied with Philadelphia for most in the NFL.
That performance came after Houston ranked fifth in the league in the regular season by forcing 29 turnovers.
Stingley, who had two of the interceptions last week a day after earning AP All-Pro honors, shared his mindset on the team’s defensive mentality.
“It really just comes down to if I was to tell you this is the last time you’re gonna do something, how you gonna do it,” Stingley said. “It’s simple as that. Just do that every single play.”
Ryans said there’s really no secret to why his team has such a knack for forcing turnovers. He believes it’s because he has good players, and they emphasize it in practice which translates to games.
“That’s our main thing that we go into every week is talking about attacking the football, taking the football,” Ryans said. “Because we know, when you take the football away, it just raises your percentages of winning the football games… it’s the defense helping the team win the game.”
While all of Houston’s takeaways last week came on interceptions, Stingley was quick to point out that those picks wouldn’t have happened if not for the pressure the defensive line put on Herbert. The Texans sacked him four times and hit him another nine in the 32-12 victory.
“The defense starts with them up front,” Stingley said. “They’re doing their job and it just makes it easier for us on the back end.”
Anderson said with each turnover, the defense got more and more amped up and was pushing each other to see who the next player would be to force one.
“That’s just that swarm mentality and we just feeding off each other,” Anderson said. “This person can’t do it by themselves so who is gonna be next and that just generates that contagious energy.”
The Texans were the fifth team since 1963 to have at least four sacks, four interceptions and an interception return for a touchdown in a playoff game last week. The past three teams to do it all went on to win the Super Bowl, with Tampa Bay doing so in the 2002 season, Baltimore in 2000 and San Francisco in 1989.
This Texans team would love to keep that going. But first they’ll need a win Saturday to put them in the AFC championship game for the first time after losing their previous five divisional matchups.
“That’s what you come here for,” Anderson said. “That’s what they’ve been rebuilding for is moments like this… we’ve got all the right pieces, we’ve just got to go out there and make it happen.”