It seems like Houston is having a hard time staying consistent in this year’s spring training. Pitching has been up and down, and hitting seems to disappear for long periods of time. The good part is that we are still playing games that don’t count, but that doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t be evaluated thus far into the season. I’m going to go though different statistics that have been posted so far in this years spring training to try and get an idea of what needs to be improved on.
For example the home run production seems to be lower then expected. Just for comparative purposes the Astros have hit only 8 homers in 15 games, whereas the Detroit Tigers, arguably the best offense in baseball, have hit 22 in an equal amount of games. Actually, Houston is behind 24 other teams when it comes to home runs. Maybe the Astros have taken a more ’small ball’ approach this season because the Tigers have 80 RBI to go with their 22 homers but Houston has 76 RBI to go with their 8 homers. To drive the ’small ball’ point home we look at stolen bases where the Astros have more then tripled the amount the Tigers have produced. To be exact, Houston has 24 to Detroit’s 7. Reggie Abercrombie and Michael Bourn have 5 a piece to go with David Newhan’s 4. We will also look at the averages these two teams have produced so far this spring training. Detroit is ranked 11th in the league with a .287 avg and Houston is ranked 12th with a .283 avg. Houston also has Detroit beat in doubles and triples. Besides homers, its hard to tell the difference between these two teams so why is Detroit’s record 10-5 and Houston’s 6-9?
This would be where pitching comes into play, the most important position in baseball. Let’s compare these teams once again, but this time we will look at team ERA. Houston’s team ERA is 6.18 to Detroit’s 3.69. This is a huge difference; Houston is giving up 6 runs a game! It is very difficult to win any baseball game when you are giving up nearly 6 runs per game. Still don’t think pitching is a problem? Well let’s look at strike outs, the most basic statistic you can look at. Detroit has K’d 91 to Houston’s 81. How about runs, another simple statistic. Detroit has only given up 65 runs to Houston’s 100. And lastly, the average against. Houston pitchers are allowing a .316 avg to opponent batters whereas Detroit is only allowing .263. Houston’s pitching could become this seasons Achilles heal because hitting shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Let me end by saying none of these statistic matter, and the wins and losses have no meaning either. Also, as annoying as it might be I only compared to Detroit because they are this season perennial power house and should have one of the most balanced attacks we’ve seen in a while. BUT and this is a big but, as much as these numbers mean nothing, they can sometimes be a look into the future. Pitching is not something that is easily put together and you must have some veteran leadership in your bullpen. It seems Houston might be lacking in that department and it can and will hurt them if not improved.
