Houston Astros Named One of 'Biggest Disasters' of 2024 MLB Season
The Houston Astros have started to turn it around recently, currently 7-3 in their last 10 games. Only 5.5 games out of first place in the American League West, the Astros have made things interesting heading into July.
While the season hasn't gone as planned, there's still hope for this ball club. And at the end of the day, there isn't a team in baseball that wants to see Houston in a playoff series.
Take away all of the talent they have on their roster when healthy, they have more experience in October than any team in the league.
The issue, thus far, has been them potentially not getting there. However, things look like they're changing.
Despite their recent success, Brandon Scott of Bleacher Report still named them one of the "biggest disasters" of the year.
"Well, their dreadful start and the pitching injuries they've been unable to avoid. The Astros are still recovering from going 12-24 in their first 36 games. They are 26-16 since May 9, but it's quite the uphill climb for Houston.
"They have three starters recovering from Tommy John surgery, two of whom had the procedure in consecutive days earlier this month. That does not include 41-year-old Justin Verlander, who was recently placed on the 15-day injured list with neck discomfort."
Injuries have been a major issue all year, and if they don't get healthy, it's tough to imagine a scenario where they do play as well as they can in October.
It's to no fault of anyone on the team, Dana Brown, or the coaching staff if the Astros can't get healthy.
Now, if Brown doesn't go out and make the necessary moves to better this roster because of the injuries they've dealt with, that opens up a different discussion. He should be looking to upgrade this roster, and every indication has pointed to him doing just that.
At the beginning of June, he told Chandler Rome of The Athletic that he thinks they're going to be buyers.
“I don’t see any scenario where we’re sellers. I think we’re going to be buyers,”
With the July trade deadline approaching, it might not be a bad idea to get ahead of the curve and try to get better as soon as possible.
These injuries continue to pile up, and with them now showing that they could be in the hunt for a playoff spot, they need to address them.
JON CONAHAN
Jon Conahan has been covering all major sports since 2019. He is a 2022 graduate of the Bellisario School of Journalism at Penn State University and previously played D1 baseball.