Inside the Astros

Houston Astros Star Rookie Has Important Career First

The Houston Astros star rookie had an important career first on Thursday night.

Dylan Sanders

May 12, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Joey Loperfido (10) hits an RBI
May 12, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Joey Loperfido (10) hits an RBI / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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Houston Astros rookie slugger Joey Loperfido had built up a lot of hype over the first few weeks in the minors, to the point that fans were over the moon when he finally got the call up.

Though he made his mark in AAA this season by smashing home runs, the power hadn't translated into long balls in MLB play.

That changed against the Oakland Athletics as he took Joey Estes deep for a two-run shot in the third inning for his first career home run.

The 25-year-old hit 13 home runs in just 25 minor league games this season, racking up a 1.106 OPS. It was clear that he needed to come up to the majors, especially with Jose Abreu struggling mightily.

Though he hadn't had much success in driving the ball deep, he's excelled as someone that can get on base. His .844 OPS is a top-three mark on the team, though there is a bit smaller of a sample size. He now has a five-game hitting streak going as well.

The Philadelphia native hits the ball hard, a 91.4 average exit velocity. The biggest thing that he needs to work on is his plate discipline. He's swinging at an absurd 43.3% of pitches outside of the zone. He's making contact at a good rate, 62.1% of those swings, but it has to play a big factor in his low walk rate and high strikeout rate.

As exciting as he is at the plate, maybe the most surprising thing has been his ability in the field.

Though he was expected to play first base, given Abreu's struggles, he has played an exceptional left field so far. He's already fourth on the team in fielding run value above average, despite being just 11 games into his career.

Loperfido has been an exciting player to start his young career and may be a hit for Houston, who desperately needs more young talent.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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