Houston Astros Hall of Famer Helping Slugger Through Early Slump

It's been a particularly rough start for one of the Houston Astros' sluggers and that's prompted one of their Hall of Fame players to help out with his approach.

Jul 30, 2017; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Fame Inductee Jeff Bagwell makes his acceptance speech / Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros are in relatively unfamiliar territory through the early part of the season as they currently hold the second-worst record in the American League and are last in their division entering Friday's slate of games.

When the front office added different pieces headlined by superstar closer Josh Hader, those moves were seen as the final additions needed to get this team back into the World Series with a great chance of taking home their third championship.

Instead, it's been the complete opposite.

For the most part, the offense has not been the issue. Many players throughout this lineup are having impressive starts to the year.

That's why the struggles of Jose Abreu are so glaring.

Entering Friday, he has a slash line of .078/.158/.098, having only gotten four hits on the season, just one for extra bases.

There were warning signs that the former MVP was becoming this type of player. He signed a three-year, $58.5 million contract last winter and put up his worst statistical performance of his career in 2023.

Abreu was able to turn things around late last season and in the playoffs, sparking some hope that he might have found some things to call upon heading into this year.

But, his performance so far has been even worse.

Because of this, Astros Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell was urged to start working with the slugger by hitting coach Alex Cintron. The franchise great is currently the team's senior advisor to ownership and baseball operations, meaning he's extremely invested in what is taking place on the field.

The pair reportedly worked together for roughly four hours ahead of Houston's game on April 15 with Bagwell doing similar things that he's done with minor leaguers in the past.

"Most of the stuff I do is we just talk. We talk about approach, talk about what's going on and their thought process and what's comfortable and what’s uncomfortable. And maybe what I thought about when I was struggling and how that could relate to anything that those guys do," he said according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

It seems like the Hall of Famer is really looking to improve Abreu's mental approach to hitting right now which has taken a dip because of his struggles.

The Astros are hoping that Bagwell can work his magic on the veteran first baseman and get him back to being a feared hitter so that this lineup can become even more lethal than it's been so far.