LEADER OF THE PACK
How Astros can navigate latest leadership challenges, pivotal opportunities ahead
Jan 30, 2024, 3:25 pm
Could deferring money be the secret to re-signing Jose Altuve? Composite Getty Image.
Maybe it was the excitement of the Houston Texans’ improbable run to the NFL postseason, or the Houston Rockets suddenly becoming competitive again … but the 2024 baseball season sure has crept up on us fast.
How much do you love that Astros pitchers and catchers report to spring training in just two weeks, on Valentine’s Day? That’s amore.
For a team in full bloom of a historic run – you know the numbers, seven consecutive ALCS, four World Series appearances, two championships – the Astros enter the 2024 season with more question marks than the Riddler’s three-piece suit.
With the dust finally settled on the Astros’ disappointing 2023 campaign (yeah, they only finished tied for the AL West and took eventual World Series champions Texas Rangers to seven games in the ALCS), it becomes clearer that last year was a season of turmoil. Now we can see just how deep the distrust and disgust was between general manager Dana Brown and field manager Dusty Baker.
Before the Minute Maid Park roof closed on the 2023 season, Brown began dismantling Baker’s vision of the Astros. First, Baker was gone without so much as a “you’ll always be part of the Astros family” or meaningless title of “Executive Consultant in Charge of Nothing.” Baker’s departure wasn’t a retirement or a kick upstairs – it was just goodbye.
Brown finally was able to hire his own manager and picked longtime bench coach Joe Espada. Will Espada be the right choice, a veteran trusted soldier who has the support of the clubhouse, or the coach who interviewed for several managerial jobs over the years and couldn’t get a bite?
With Dusty Baker’s teacher’s pet Martin Maldonado gone, will young slugger Yanier Diaz fulfill his promise as the No. 1 catcher? The Astros won’t miss Maldonado’s weak bat and eroded defensive skills, but Maldy was undeniably a team leader in the clubhouse. When the Astros needed a verbal kick in the butt, it usually was Maldonado unleashing the tongue lashing. Who will step up as the Astros’ emotional team leader?
It isn’t escaping fans’ attention that Jose Altuve, the greatest Astro ever, is entering his free agent year seemingly without an extension offer on the table. While most believe that the Astros will do whatever it takes to keep Altuve in Houston, a total gag order exists on Alex Bregman’s future. Conventional wisdom says the Astros will keep Bregman through the upcoming season, pass on swallowing a long-term, big-money contract, and let him escape via free agency. However, with Shohei Ohtani signing a ridiculous $700 million contract packed with deferred, interest-free payments, conventional wisdom ain’t so conventional anymore. The Astros maybe, just maybe, could get creative and keep both Altuve and Bregman.
Does Justin Verlander have enough left in his tank to be more than a 5-inning starter? With Maldonado gone, will diva Framber Valdez accept Diaz as his battery mate? Will Lance McCullers ever be a rotation guy? Will Kyle Tucker continue his path to superstardom or stew over the team’s reluctance to sign him to a fair market multiyear extension? Will Jake Meyers become a legit everyday center fielder? Will Josh Hader put the exclamation point on a shutdown bullpen?
The Astros should have enough for another run at a World Series ring, but cracks are showing in the foundation. While the Astros tied for the division title in 2023, they finished with 16 fewer wins than 2022. Surely it galls Astros owner Jim Crane that the World Series champs are the other team in Texas.
Vegas’ confidence in the Astros hasn’t wavered, though. Oddsmakers have the Astros as the (+800) favorite to win the American League pennant. The only teams with shorter odds to win the World Series are the Dodgers (+350) and Braves (+550).
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C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson found themselves in the same spot when they met in Week 2 last season.
Both quarterbacks were top-five draft picks, lost their season openers and seemed to be facing a steep learning curve.
Richardson won Round 1 in Houston, although he didn't finish the game.
Stroud took Round 2 in Indianapolis with the injured Richardson watching from the sideline as Texans clinched the AFC South title and Stroud locked up his runaway selection as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, each QB begins his second pro season — with a lot still to prove.
“I’m excited. First official game back with my guys and my teammates,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last October. "I want to win. So, whatever I’ve got to do to do that, I’m going to do it.”
Winning a season opener certainly would be a welcome change for a franchise that last started 1-0 in 2013. The 10-game winless streak is easily the NFL's longest active streak.
But that's just a start for Richardson.
He needs to improve his accuracy after completing a pedestrian 59.5% of his throws in 2023 and must demonstrate he can finish games. He missed 13 last season and only finished one of his four starts because of an assortment of injuries, including the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 2 matchup at Houston after he ran for two scores.
Stroud, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history.
He became just the third player in a half-century to lead the league in yards passing per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6 to 1), won a playoff game and made hist first Pro Bowl appearance.
How can he improve on a season like that? By showing last season was a building block — not a fluke. He has a stronger supporting cast, too, with Joe Mixon, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher, and Stefon Diggs, who has four straight 100-catch seasons, now in the mix.
The long journey begins Sunday in Indianapolis.
“I want to just start fast,” Stroud said. “It doesn't have to do with a certain game, just in general this season. Last year, we started off really slow and just kind of had to build our way back. It's not an easy thing to do, so I would say this year we want to start fast.”
Nico vs. Colts
Houston receiver Nico Collins had two of his biggest games last season against Indy — catching seven passes for 146 yards and one TD in the Week 2 matchup only to outperform those numbers with a 195-yard day that included a 75-yard TD catch in Week 18.
He could play an even bigger role this time with Indy's young secondary trying to match up not only with Collins but also Diggs, Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz.
“Nico is a playmaker,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see him, he’s a true playmaker. So, you just have to get Nico the ball in any way, shape or fashion. Just find a way to get him the ball just to see how explosive and how dynamic he is.”
Taylor made
Injuries and a contract dispute prevented Jonathan Taylor from replicating the form he used to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Starting against the Texans could be just what he needs.
In six games against Houston, Taylor has rushed for seven TDs and 135.2 yards per game — his highest average against any team he's faced multiple times. And in that rematch with Houston in Week 18, he finished with 30 carries for 188 yards, the NFL's highest single-game total all season.
Confident Anderson
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will play Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury that limited his training camp snaps.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2023 had 45 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks as a rookie. He expects to be even better this season.
“I’m way more comfortable,” he said. “Just going into Year 2 knowing the scheme better, knowing what to expect a little bit more and knowing what’s going to happen gives you more confidence.”
Pass rush
The Colts lost their 2023 sacks leader, Samson Ebukam, with a torn Achilles tendon during training. But they may have the perfect replacement.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in April's draft, at No. 15 overall, and he's shown coaches that the moves he used to record 23 1/2 sacks over his last two college seasons can work in the NFL.
“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve there," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know there are going to be plays that we’re going to come in and say there were some good plays, and there were plays he wishes he had back — we understand that. But just his overall mentality and skill set, we’re very excited to see.”