Ranking the best

The top 10 Houston athletes of 2018

The top 10 Houston athletes of 2018
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Last year, when the Astros won the World Series, we did the top 20 Houston athletes. The Astros World Series championship truly expanded the field. With no titles but some strong performances, this year we offer the top 10 (rankings are based on 2018 performance in the calendar year against their level of competition. Make sure you keep that in mind before you complain):

10) Chris Paul

Rockets Chris Paul

Chris Paul just sneaks in.

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Injuries have kept him from moving up on the list, but Chris Paul has been a force when healthy. The sad part is he might be best known for an injury; the hamstring that kept the Rockets from beating the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Just edges out another injury-riddled player, Ed Oliver of UH.

9) Jadeveon Clowney

Texans Jadeveon Clowney

Jadeveon Clowney is a force on defense.

Houston Texans/Facebook

His stats don't jump off the page, but they don't really do Jadeveon Clowney justice. He disrupts games and wreaks havoc on defenses. He also has a negative impact with penalties, which keeps him from being higher on the list.

8) Jose Altuve

Joe Altuve of the Astros

Jose Altuve is still one of the best in the city.

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Last year's No. 1 battled injuries, but Jose Altuve was still one of the best in the game despite a slightly down year. Hard to ever envision a list where he is not on it, and this is about as low as you would ever expect to see him.

7) Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson is an emerging star.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

After a slow start recovering from last year's knee injury, Deshaun Watson has become the franchise quarterback the Texans hoped he would be when they drafted him No. 12 overall. He has willed the team to victories several times, and the Texans are always a threat when he is in the game.

6) D'Eriq King

D'Eriq King

D'Eriq King was terrific as a runner and passer.

Photo via Houston Cougar Football/Facebook

Unless you watched UH football this year, you might have no idea just how great D'Eriq King was. He threw for 36 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 10 games and rushed for another 14 touchdowns and 674 yards to go with his almost 3,000 passing yards. King's 50 total TDs was off the charts, and the team collapsed when he was injured late in the year. A dynamic player at a school known for dynamic quarterbacks.

5) J.J. Watt

J.J. Watt is back.

Steven Ryan/Getty Images

Unlike Clowney, J.J. Watt's impact does show up in the stats. With one game left, he has 14.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and SIX forced fumbles. After not playing for most of the last two seasons, dominating J.J. has returned. It's odd that the Texans defense has two players on this list and is not very good.

4) Justin Verlander

Astros pitcher Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander was superb.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

In his first full season as an Astro, Justin Verlander was everything you expect a future Hall of Famer to be. He went just 16-9, but had 290 strikeouts and a 2.52 ERA and remains one of the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball.

3) Alex Bregman

Astros Alex Bregman

Alex Bregman was a monster in 2018.

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Building on his 2017 late season and postseason success, Alex Bregman was the Astros best position player in 2018. He hit 31 HRs with 103 RBIs and batted .286, but more importantly came up clutch all season long. The scary thing is he can get much better.

2) DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins is one of the best in the business.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Watching DeAndre Hopkins this season has been a pure joy. He has been the best player in the NFL at one of the glamour positions and makes incredible play after incredible play. With a game still to play (and the playoffs), he has 103 catches for 1,425 yards and 11 touchdowns. A truly elite player.

1) James Harden

Rockets James Harden

James Harden is the MVP.

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Hard to argue with a league MVP at the top of the list. Harden led the Rockets to a remarkable season last year. While the team has struggled early this season, lately he has carried them. Might not hold on to this spot next year with some of the players behind him knocking on the door but hard to beat him in 2018.

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Astros take the opener. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning that sent the Houston Astros to an 8-5 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.

Christian Walker also had a two-run shot in the fourth to begin Houston's comeback from a 3-0 deficit. The Astros still trailed by one when Jeremy Peña singled in the sixth. Altuve followed with his drive off Jack Flaherty (1-3) that crashed off the wall above the left-field seats to put Houston up 4-3.

Altuve had two hits and three RBIs while batting second for the first time since 2023. He asked to move out of the leadoff spot to give him more time to get ready to hit in the first inning after coming in from the outfield. The nine-time All-Star moved to left field this year after spending his first 14 major league seasons playing second base.

Houston’s victory snapped a four-game winning streak for the Tigers, who got two homers from Riley Greene and one from Kerry Carpenter but managed just two other hits.

The Astros tacked on four runs in the seventh with the help of sloppy defense by the Tigers. Rookie shortstop Trey Sweeney made throwing errors on consecutive plays with no outs to put runners at second and third.

Mauricio Dubón singled to score them both and extend the lead. Houston added runs on a groundout by Altuve and an RBI single by Yordan Alvarez to push it to 8-3.

Houston starter Ronel Blanco allowed three hits and three runs while striking out six in five innings. Steven Okert (1-0) worked a scoreless sixth for the win. Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his eighth save.

Flaherty yielded six hits and four runs — both season highs — in five-plus innings.

Key moment

Altuve’s home run.

Key stat

Peña has four hits in two games batting leadoff. He hit first Sunday — with Altuve getting a day off — and stayed in the top spot Monday when Altuve dropped to second.

Up next

Houston RHP Ryan Gusto (3-1, 2.78 ERA) opposes RHP Reese Olson (3-1, 3.28) when the series continues Tuesday night.

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