A Fan’s Concern: Examining the Houston Astros

By Andrew Gormly

As a lifelong Houston Astros fan, I’ve ridden the highs of World Series victories and endured the lows of rebuilding years. This team has been a cornerstone of my baseball fandom, but I’m skeptical—and worried—about the direction the Astros are heading in 2025. The recent decisions, from positional experiments to questionable moves, are threatening to keep us from the top of the league this season. Let’s break it down:

Jose Altuve in Left Field: Why Fix What Ain’t Broke?

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: Jose Altuve playing left field. This decision feels like a solution in search of a problem. Altuve, a future Hall of Famer and one of the best second basemen of his generation, has been a rock at the keystone for over a decade. Sure, his defensive metrics have slipped a bit in recent years—he posted a -5 Outs Above Average in 2024, per Statcast—but moving him to left field doesn’t make sense when you consider the outfield depth we already have.

We’ve got Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers, top prospect Cam Smith, and even Mauricio Dubón, who’s versatile enough to handle outfield duties. Heck, Yordan Alvarez could—and should—see more time in the field too. Alvarez started 53 games in left last year, and while the team wants to preserve his health by keeping him at DH, giving him occasional outfield reps would free up lineup flexibility without forcing Altuve into an unfamiliar role. I get preserving Yordan because he is one of, if not our best hitter. But I do not see why we cannot use him in the outfield. Altuve’s spring training stint in left didn’t exactly inspire confidence either—his arm strength isn’t suited for the outfield, and routine fly balls have looked like adventures. There were even reports of Altuve feeling pain during spring training. Why disrupt a proven infield star when we’ve got plenty of capable outfielders?

An Argumentative Opinion on the Outfield

Let’s talk about Chas McCormick. The decision to bench him for Opening Day and the early series was not an efficient move. McCormick’s track record proves he should be starting the majority of games. Look at his stats from previous seasons: in 2023, he slashed .259/.336/.449 with a .786 OPS, has had 50+ home runs, and 41 doubles across three years 2021-2023. That’s a 117 OPS+, meaning he was 17% better than the league average offensively. Even in 2022, he was a spark plug, contributing to our championship run with timely hits and solid defense.

Contrast that with 2024, when injuries tanked his production to a .211 average and a .576 OPS over 267 plate appearances. Fair enough—he had a down year. But spring training 2025 showed signs of a bounce-back: he hit .366 with an .865 OPS in 2024’s Grapefruit League, and reports from GM Dana Brown in February 2025 noted he was swinging the bat well. So why isn’t he locked in as the everyday right fielder? Instead, the Astros handed the Opening Day nod to Cam Smith, a 22-year-old prospect who’s promising but unproven at the MLB level. While I am not necessarily disagreeing with that move, McCormick’s versatility (he can play all three outfield spots) and past performance make him the better choice to anchor the outfield anywhere, especially when the team’s offense needs stability after losing Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman. We could have McCormick in left, Meyers in center, and Smith in right. The Astros could rotate that and throw Dubon in the mix, then Yordan from time to time at a more frequent level. But again, Altuve out in left is not the answer, and McCormick should definitely get at least 55% of starts, if not more.

A Mixed Bag

The roster decisions beyond the outfield are also a topic to discuss. Keeping McCormick and Meyers over letting them hit free agency was smart—they’re cost-controlled and have upside—but trading Tucker to the Cubs gutted our lineup. Letting Bregman walk instead of trying to keep him was a disagreement for me, but understandable. He is definitely not as efficient as he used to be in the late ‘10s and early ‘20s, but do I think Paredes will make a significant change based off of what we have seen already? No. Tucker’s a three-time All-Star with a .289/.369/.513 slash line over the last three years, and I just think that he was too good of a player to let go. Replacing them with Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker is a gamble that could or could not pay off. A gamble I think was a big step for the Astros, so I hope they got the right shoes on.

Paredes, acquired in the Tucker trade, brings pull power (19 HRs in 2024 with the Rays), but his .346 OBP last year came with a .240 average—hardly a like-for-like swap for Bregman’s consistency. Walker, signed to a three-year, $60 million deal, is a defensive wizard (three straight NL Gold Gloves) and averaged 32 homers per year from 2022-2024 with the Diamondbacks. But at 34, he’s a risk to decline, and his .251/.333/.468 line last year doesn’t scream “lineup savior.” Compare that to José Abreu’s flop after signing a similar deal in 2022, and I’m wary of another aging first baseman eating up payroll.

Meanwhile, releasing prospects like Zach Dezenzo to the minors instead of giving them a shot feels like a missed opportunity. Dezenzo’s power potential could have bolstered the bench, especially with Alvarez mostly at DH. The Astros seem stuck between retooling and contending, and it’s showing in a lineup that lacks the punch of past years.

The Big Picture

These decisions—Altuve’s positional switch, underutilizing McCormick, and the roster shakeup—signal a team that’s losing its edge. The Astros have made the postseason eight straight years, but 2025 feels different. The AL West is no cakewalk, with the Mariners and Rangers lurking, and our revamped lineup doesn’t inspire the same fear. Yordan Alvarez is still a monster, but he can’t carry the offense alone. Without Tucker and Bregman, and with Altuve potentially struggling in left, the margin for error is razor-thin.

As a fan, I believe in this team and let me be clear that I am not bashing this organization because of a couple of losses. I am just looking at some X’s and O’s that I feel like should be addressed in this fanbase and in the community. And again, we are a few games in. It is a long season. Things could turn around. But if they don’t I am going to look back at this post and say I told you so. With a first round exit last year, the Astros now stand on that thin line of either staying a contender and potentially an elite team, or dropping off and regaining the nickname “The Lastros.” With the lineup is the heart of a contender right now, it is concerning. McCormick should be starting, Alvarez should get more field time, and Altuve should be back at second where he belongs. The signings of Walker and Paredes might pan out, but they’re not enough to offset the losses. Unless something changes, I’m skeptical we’ll see the Astros atop the league standings in 2025—and that’s a tough pill to swallow for a lifelong fan who’s tasted champagne twice in the last decade.

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