The 2000 Yankees were the last team to successfully defend a World Series title After signing José Abreu, the Astros are poised to become baseball's next Evil Empire, writes NickSelbe
won their first World Series title in 2017, the front office opted to largely stand pat the following winter. The biggest contract Houston gave out was a two-year, $14 million deal to relief pitcher Joe Smith, a perfectly fine acquisition with an appropriately mundane name in keeping with this narrative., it appears Houston is going for a different title defense approach this time around.
For a team as loaded with talent as Houston, it’s still stunning to see how deep the pit of despair at first base was in 2022. Astros first basemen ranked dead last in the AL in fWAR last season , as the team was either unwilling or unable to find a sufficient replacement—internally or externally—for the veteran Gurriel. The 38-year-old made 138 starts at first base in ‘22, with a brutal .242/.288/.360 slash line and just eight homers.
However, that dip is likely the result of an altered approach rather than diminishing skills. Abreu made plenty of hard contact in 2022, ranking in the 93rd percentile in average exit velocity and a 51.8% hard-hit rate. His expected slugging percentage also indicates some poor luck, and though his decreased average launch angle won’t support an uptick in home runs, a more contact-based approach helped Abreu post a career-low 16.2% strikeout rate.
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