Astros Signal Offensive Shift with New Hitting Coach Hires

The Padres saw a big jump in hitting and discipline at the plate during Rodríguez’s two years there. San Diego was 20th in batting average before he took over, but then led baseball in hitting in 2024 with a .263 team average while having the lowest strikeout rate. This past season, the Padres ranked seventh in average, and although they were 18th in runs (702), their total was still higher than the Astros’ 686. San Diego was also ninth with a .321 on-base percentage, compared to Houston at 15th. 

Closer Look at the Astros Offense

After being in the top three of the lowest strikeout rates in baseball the last three seasons, Houston dropped to eighth with a 21.4% mark after hovering around 19% since 2022. Meanwhile, San Diego had the third-lowest K-rate this season and was the best in limiting strikeouts in 2024. Rodriguez’s approach clearly worked during his time with the Padres, and he aims to bring back what was a low-strikeout and disciplined team at the plate in Houston. 

The Astros had the highest chase rate in the American League and the second highest in baseball, at 30.5%. Since their 2022 season, when it was 29.2%, it has been much higher, among the highest chase rates in baseball over the past three years. On the other hand, San Diego had a much lower number than Houston in 2024 at 28.1%. While the Astros may have had more home runs and a higher OPS than the Padres this season, the difference may relate to personnel, and Rodríguez may help address their specific struggles. 

Rodríguez’s History

A former player for parts of 19 professional seasons, Rodríguez was originally signed by the Baltimore Orioles in 1977 at 15 years old. He played for seven different farm systems (and, briefly, two major league teams) before beginning his coaching career in the Boston Red Sox organization with Triple-A Pawtucket in 1995 after playing 31 games. He spent six seasons as a hitting coach in their minor league system before getting promoted to hitting coordinator from 2007-12. 

Rodríguez has plenty of experience as a hitter with 1,759 minor league games played, where he hit 102 home runs. 

The Astros struggled more in areas in 2025 that had not been a prominent issue before, such as offensive approach, chase rate, and strikeouts. Houston was also 28th in pitches seen per plate appearance. The Astros had been known to grind out pitchers and rack up pitch counts. 

They’ll try to return to that under Rodríguez. The Padres led baseball in sacrifice bunting and total bunts, using an old-school approach to manufacture runs, given their low home run hitting. Houston can hit the long ball, but it will be interesting to see if they use this strategy in 2026. 

Additional Staff Under Victor Rodriguez

The Astros expanded their coaching staff for 2026, with two more coaches working with Rodríguez. Anthony Iapoce was named the assistant hitting coach and Dan Hennigan as the offensive coordinator and director of hitting last Wednesday. 

While Rodriguez will serve as the Astros’ clear No. 1 hitting coach, Iapoce should be valuable as an assistant. He was on the Detroit Tigers staff under A.J. Hinch in 2024 after managing their Triple-A team in Toledo. The 52-year-old has strong experience as the main hitting coach himself, including 2019-21 with the Chicago Cubs and 2016-18 with the Texas Rangers. 

General manager Dana Brown mentioned that this will bring a structure to the process, as each of them has their own defined roles. The goal for the Astros’ hitters is to be more patient and find better pitches to hit instead of swinging early. 

Hennigan will create game plans and help prepare hitters using analytics and data. He was already the director of hitting for Houston last season after two years as a hitting analyst with the Minnesota Twins. He is an expert in swing biomechanics and can keep Houston up to date on a modern approach to hitting, while Rodríguez is more old-school. The overhaul Brown has assembled with multiple viewpoints and roles may be a good change for Houston, but ultimately, the results will tell. 

2025 Was Not the Year

Houston had injuries to multiple key players that made it extremely difficult to get a rhythm down the stretch. Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez missed 115 games, and two more of the Astros’ best offensive players, Jeremy Peña and Isaac Paredes, each missed a month and two months, respectively. Additionally, Jake Meyers missed 58 games, and Jose Altuve was not fully healthy. 

With a complete overhaul of the offensive coaching and a fresh start with a full season of Carlos Correa, the Astros aim to return to the top of the American League.