There Is One Factor Holding the Astros Back From Being a True Contender This Season

It has been a bit of an inconsistent start to the season for the Houston Astros, who are trying to remain a top team in the American League.

Coming into the year, there was a lot of question marks for the Astros based on what they did in the offseason.

Despite this team being the one to beat in the AL for most of the last decade, they decided to do some retooling this past winter.

The first major domino to drop was the shocking trade that sent Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. As a multiple-time All-Star, the slugger was a massive loss for the lineup.

Furthermore, they also saw Alex Bregman, who was considered to be the heart and soul of the team leave for the Boston Red Sox in free agency.

So far, both players are having MVP-caliber seasons with their new teams, while the offense for Houston struggles.

Can the Houston Astros Turn it Around?

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the struggles in the batting order for the Astros and why the team isn’t quite what they used to be.

“Even in a lineup with Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve and Christian Walker, there's not a single player with an OPS above .800. Houston should be able to hang in the division race in a weak AL West, but it feels like a team in transition.”

While Houston has been able to stay around .500 and keep pace in the AL West, it hasn’t been because of their offense.

Even though there is still talent on the team despite losing two All-Stars, that talent isn’t quite producing.

Jose Altuve was the lone producer to begin the year for the unit, but he has struggled a bit of late and seen his numbers come down quite a bit. Currently, he is slashing .252/.299/.364, which is way below his normal standard.

Furthermore, in addition to Altuve struggling a bit, so has Yordan Alvarez. The star slugger for Houston has had a tough start to the campaign, slashing .210/.306/.340 with just three home runs.

The slugger is generally one of the best hitters in the AL and has had a bit of bad luck so far. Also, he is now dealing with a minor hand injury that hasn’t come at a good time.

As the Astros try to remain a contender in the AL, it is going to be an uphill battle. Within their own division they are experiencing some early competition, and their lineup simply isn’t producing enough.

While the unit should get better, this Houston team doesn’t scream contender as of now.