Christian Walker’s May Slump Deepening Astros’ Offensive Problems

Walker currently has five hits over his last 47 at-bats. Over the last 13 days, he’s slashing just .106/.176/.255 with 11 strikeouts and three walks. To say that his performance as of late has been disappointing would be a definitive understatement.

Players are bound to go through slumps, though. The baseball season is long, making it nearly impossible for any player to consistently perform at a high level throughout the marathon.

Still, someone like Walker, whom the Astros have entrusted with a $60 million contract, must pull their weight more often than not. And on a team like the Astros, where the offensive depth isn’t necessarily there, any sort of setback to one of the key players shines even brighter. 

Walker’s slump is not a cause to hit the panic button. Quite the contrary, really. But just like everything else with the Astros, it has cost the team baseball games. Without Walker’s bat excelling like it needs to, the lineup becomes even thinner than it already is.

That’s not to say that an increase in production from Walker would change all that much. Sure, there might be a chance that his bat catching a spark would enable the rest of the offense to do the same, but that’s unlikely. What’s more likely is that the Astros continue to wallow in their own misery for the foreseeable future, whether Walker is hitting the ball well or not. 

Ominous, right? Yeah, the Astros are in dire straits. There really isn’t much that can save them, unless Walker and a slew of other hitters decide that enough is enough.