What is the Greatest Strength for the Houston Astros This Season?

As we head into the stretch run, what is the greatest strength of the Houston Astros this season?

Aug 24, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) throws a third inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros are once again having a great season, as they will be seeking another long playoff run come October. The sustained success of the Astros over the past decade has been in large part to their ability to scout, develop, and make wise personnel decisions on when to keep or acquire players. 

Houston currently has a comfortable lead in the American League West, thanks to some good baseball on their part and some awful baseball from the Seattle Mariners. While the regular season is important to make it to the playoffs, the Astros are a team that is focused on winning championships. 

One of the reasons why Houston has had such a good season is because of their pitching staff. The Astros’ staff is pretty deep top to bottom with pitchers that have had a lot of success in the postseason.  

Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report recently spoke about pitching continuing to be the biggest strength for the Astros this season. 

“There are reasons aplenty why the Astros are threatening to win the AL West for the seventh time in eight seasons, but the one that feels especially prevalent now is how they're able to keep their pitching staff a well-oiled machine.”

“Despite the many injuries they've sustained this year, they're still third in the American League in ERA. They wouldn't be there if they hadn't applied their magic touch to in-house projects like Hunter Brown and Ronel Blanco, as well as to new addition Yusei Kikuchi.”

The Astros have been utilizing a six-man rotation of late to help conserve some of their pitchers, and with the talent they have, it’s easy to understand why. Over the course of the season, Framber Valdez and Ronel Blanco have been arguably the best two pitchers on the staff, as Valdez leads the team in wins with 13, and Blanco leads starting pitchers who qualify in ERA at 3.14. 

In addition to those two, the Astros also have Justin Verlander back from injury and traded for Yusei Kikuchi. Since coming to the Astros, Kikuchi has been very good, as he has a 2.89 ERA in five starts. 

As we get closer to the playoffs, Houston will once again be feared as an elite team in the American League. With a lot of depth in the rotation, the Astros are going to be a very tough team to face in a long series. 

Come playoff time, the Astros very well could have the best starting rotation in the league, and that will once again make them a scary team to face.