The Astros are on track to contend for several awards in 2019
How much hardware can the Astros win this year?
Jul 29, 2019, 6:55 am
photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
With Yuli Gurriel and Gerrit Cole likely on their way to player and pitcher of the month awards for July, it creates consideration for the type of season-long awards this team could come away with this year. We know Justin Verlander is on Cy Young pace, but could some of his teammates also be on their way to some hardware?
Teammates battling for the Cy Young
While we wait to see what Houston's front office can do before the trade deadline to further bolster the pitching rotation, two of the current arms in it are on a course to push each other towards being named the best in the league. Right now it's Justin Verlander deservedly favored to take home the award, but Gerrit Cole has rocketed up the ranks to give him a run for his money.
With the win on Saturday in St. Louis, Cole finished his second consecutive undefeated month. He went 4-0 in July over five starts, besting his 3-0 record over six starts in June. His last loss came on May 22nd and ended that day with a 4-5 record and 4.11 ERA. Fast-forward to today, and Cole has rattled off eight straight wins, and has his ERA down to 2.94, tied for third in the AL behind Charlie Morton in first and Verlander in second.
Where Cole has the advantage is in strikeout numbers. He currently sits atop the league with 212 on the season, with the two pitchers (Max Scherzer and Chris Sale) tied for the second spot still yet to reach 200 at 189. He has been down-right un-hittable at times, which has resulted in his becoming the second-quickest to reach the 200 strikeout mark in a season.
Still, though, it's Verlander at the top of the class. He's currently one start behind Cole, with his next Tuesday night to start the series in Cleveland against the Indians. Despite being a game behind, he still boasts a better record (13-4) than Cole (12-5). As mentioned, he also sits with a better ERA and owns the best WHIP in the league at an impressive 0.84.
While the back end of the rotation may need some help, the Astros will have a fun battle on their hands with these two aces trying to one-up each other the rest of 2019 to take home the Cy Young award.
A batting title for Brantley
By this point, there's no doubt that Michael Brantley was a great acquisition by the Astros in this past offseason. It's also no question that he's a hit machine. Brantley has flirted with the best batting average in the American League in several seasons, finishing third in 2014, fourth in 2015, and fifth in 2018.
This year, he currently sits third in the AL with a .324 average, close behind Rafael Devers in second with a .329 average and DJ LeMahieu who sits at the top with .332. The good news is, Brantley is on the rise after posting his worst monthly average in June (.280), surging back with a hot July (.371 so far).
Brantley has had a better clip at home than on the road on the season (.335 vs .315), but that gap has widened with a below-average performance in away games in July. Luckily for Brantley, the Astros have a near-even split of road vs. away games the rest of the season, and many of those away from Minute Maid Park will be against very hittable teams.
He could easily heat up and outpace the two in front of him before the end of the regular season, or stay consistent, and wait for them to fall below him. For reference, last year's AL winner was Mookie Betts with an impressive .346 average, the same as Jose Altuve when he took home the honor in his 2017 MVP season.
Gurriel could win a Silver Slugger Award
As mentioned, Gurriel is a no-brainer to take home player of the month for his amazing July. So far in this month, he is hitting .407 with twelve home runs and twenty-eight RBIs. That has his season average up to .298, currently the best amongst qualified American League first basemen. Also in comparison to that same field, he sits second in RBIs, sixth in home runs, and first in doubles and triples.
With the return of Carlos Correa which solidifies the defense to keep Gurriel at first base, he has a decent chance at maintaining his average above the field and if he can stay hot, will be in contention, if not the easy winner, of the silver slugger award for AL first base.
Alvarez has a shot at Rookie of the Year
While Brandon Lowe of the Rays remains the leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, he has made his way there over many more games played than Houston's phenom Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez has remained a menace at the plate for opposing pitchers, so much so that he set a new MLB record for RBIs in his first thirty games, driving in 35 over that span to beat the old record of 34.
Alvarez currently has 12 home runs in his 129 at-bats, which paired with 31 other hits has him at a .333 average and a monster 1.113 OPS. If he can continue to perform at the plate as he had for the remaining games of 2019, he could very well come out ahead of Lowe and give the Astros their first winner of the award since Carlos Correa in 2015.
Still, it's all about the Commissioner's Trophy
While individual awards are fantastic, those remain accomplishments to reflect on when the season is over. Until then, the team remains focused on one goal, which is still within their grasp: a World Series win. While the next 48 hours or so full of potential trades can quickly shake the odds up, this Astros team should still have as good a shot of any to bring home another Commissioner's Trophy.
An extra arm in the rotation would be a big boost, but the way this team is playing now that they are healthy, they could still be favorites to beat any team in a five or seven-game series. Getting stronger through trades will only make them an even bigger force for other teams to contend with in October.
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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.”