LOOKING AHEAD
John Granato: 28 things I want to see this football season
Jul 26, 2018, 8:15 am
A healthy Deshaun Watson would be fun to see. Tim Warner/Getty Images
1. Deshaun Watson play all 16 regular season games and every postseason game
2. Four new teams in the college football playoff
3. Odell vs Kicking Net 2 - Revenge of the Net
4. The anthem controversy go away
5. Every Herm Edwards press conference
6. Someone on the Texans not named DeAndre has 60 catches
7. Nick Saban upset on the sideline (lock of the year)
8. Johnny Manziel win the Grey Cup (longshot of the year)
9. The NRG roof open one game (zero chance of happening)
10. Lamar Miller rush for 1,000 yards
11. UH in another New Year’s Day bowl game
12. Bill Belichick explain why he didn’t play Malcolm Butler in last year’s Super Bowl
13. Andre Hal say he’s beating cancer
14. The Big 12 finish in a 9-way tie for first and have no idea how to break it thus forcing them to pick up two more teams and actually have 12 because it’s stupid to have 10 and call yourself the Big 12 (note: I say 9-way tie because there’s no way I could put Kansas in first place and keep any credibility)
15. Bill O’Brien call a pass play that picks up a first down to ice a win
16. When Bill O’Brien calls three straight Lamar Miller off-tackle runs and the Texans have to punt with 1:30 to play and a 5 point lead, the Texans defense stops someone to win the game
17. Every Longhorn has clear urine
18. Aqib Talib and Michael Crabtree scrap on the first play of the first preseason game
19. Tyrann Mathieu win comeback player of the year
20. English subtitles for every Ed Orgeron press conference
21. Malcolm Butler pick off a Brady pass in the final seconds of their playoff game and race 99 yards for the winning score which puts the Titans in the AFC Championship game against the Texans who won earlier that day
22. Deshaun Watson break the Texans single season touchdown passes record of 29 by week 10
23. The Aggies and Longhorns meet in a big bowl game
24. Nick Martin finish the season on the field
25. Bill Belichick explain why he let Malcolm Butler walk in free agency
26. J.J. Watt lead the league in sacks
27. A college football RedZone channel
28. The Astros win the World Series again
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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