Right off the jump, I feel like I have to tell you that Jose Altuve is the greatest Astro of all-time. I already know that the Biggio and Bagwell fans will get mad at that, but I’ve already made my point in the past and I’m right. All Altuve is waiting for is time to pass before he’s recognized by every Astros fan as the greatest Astro.
His 2017 MVP Award was an incredible stamp on what was an incredible season for the Houston Astros and all of us living vicariously through the most entertaining and likeable team in Houston sports history. Alex Bregman was a huge part of the championship run last year and will find himself in the top 5 voting for MVP this season. However, a look at both players’ performances in wins and losses shows that Bregman might be even more “valuable” to the 2018 Astros than even Altuve was to the 2017 team.
Altuve 2017
Split | G | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
in Wins | 94 | 91 | 140 | 31 | 4 | 14 | 59 | 23 | 40 | .378 | .445 | .597 | 1.042 |
in Losses | 59 | 21 | 64 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 22 | 9 | 18 | .291 | .350 | .464 | .813 |
Bregman 2018
Split | G | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
in Wins | 83 | 72 | 108 | 37 | 1 | 19 | 64 | 6 | 54 | .333 | .434 | .630 | 1.063 |
in Losses | 53 | 22 | 46 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 27 | 4 | 25 | .234 | .330 | .416 | .747 |
There are still games to be played, but these Astros are on a very similar win pace to last season’s team. The Astros suffered through pitching injuries last season, but the lineup stayed dangerous. Bregman has had to keep things afloat despite injuries to George Springer, Carlos Correa, and even Jose Altuve.
When the team wins, as noted by the stats, Bregman has had a great deal to do with the “W”. And when he doesn’t hit well, they lose. These numbers clearly show how directly responsible Bregman has been for the Astros success this year. Bregman won’t win the MVP and may not even finish in the top 3, but it’s clear that when discussing “valuable”, Bregman deserves to be at the top.
Fantasy Football Sleeper
Keep a close eye on Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron. There is a better than average chance that he’s on the free agent list of your league unless you are in a deeper (or sharper league). Ebron caught 5 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown with Luck under center in game three of the preseason.
While Ebron never really lived up to the hype in Detroit, the Colts will be relying heavily on their tight ends in their passing game. On top of that, Andrew Luck’s arm strength could be an issue early on so it wouldn’t surprise me to see Ebron challenge for “safety blanket” status for Luck.
