This feature is back, right before we give out the players of the Month award. We didn't post this last week, since there were so few games in the proceeding week. But, there's plenty to talk about now, including a return to form for one of Houston's most remarkable players.
Honorable mentions
Kiké Hernandez
Oh, Kiké. You continue to hit better than any reasonable expectation. In this time of offensive famine, it's a welcome sight. Hernandez hit .273/.333/.455 in the last week over 24 plate appearances. He had two doubles and a triple while striking out just three times.
More importantly, he's been able to play all over the field for Houston, helping out a roster that sorely needs fill-ins with so many injuries. This also seems to be a reasonable expectation for what Kiké can do moving forward. I wouldn't expect the slugging percentage to stay quite that high, but a .330 OBP and a .700 OPS would be a great rookie campaign for the super utility player.
Jason Castro
Castro is one of the most confounding players on the team right now. Every time I think he's breaking out a bit, I check his numbers. Nope, he's still terrible.
Yet, the more and more I see him, the more I realize how good his defense has become. Little did I know that's actually a phenomenon known as Nichols Law of Catcher Defense, wherein a good hitting catcher is considered bad defensively and the worse he hits, the better his defensive reputation becomes.
With Castro, it's not just reputation. We have some solid numbers to suggest Castro's improved remarkably in his pitch framing and has become much more adept at blocking balls in the dirt than he was two or three years ago. That gives him value, even when he's hitting like a slug.
Take this last week, when Castro hit two home runs and seemed to be exiting his slump. He still only hit .280/.280/.560 with nary a walk in sight and a team-high seven strikeouts. That's not good, yet it's pretty great for a good defensive catcher. Or, are my expectations just changing? I'm so confused.
Chris Carter
Trogdor continues his torrid July, posting a line of .208/.345/.500 in his last 29 plate appearances. Of his five hits in the last week, two were home runs and one was a double. Only Gregorio Petit (in 2 PAs) and Jose Altuve had wRC+ totals higher than Carter in the past week, thanks to Trogdor's five walks and slugging prowess.
Winner
Jose Altuve
The King has returned to his rightful spot. Any concern that Jose Altuve might have cooled off post-All Star break was quickly alleviated. The second baseman has continued his hot streak since then, hitting .408/.420/.551 in the 11 games since then.
In the last week, Altuve has been just as good, going .414/.433/.517 in 30 plate appearances. He also had one home run and one stolen base with four runs scored and a wRC+ of 165. That's easily the highest on the team over the last week.
The projections have continued to adjust up for Altuve's gaudy batting average. ZiPS' updated projections have him hitting .330 on the season with 57 steals and 43 doubles. No Astro had had over 50 steals and 40 doubles since 1998. Altuve is also attempting to become the first Astro to hit .330 or better since Moises Alou and Lance Berkman in 2001. His .343 mark on the season is the third-highest in team history, trailing just Jeff Bagwell's .368 in 1994 and Alou's .355 in 2000.
But, Altuve's not just setting team records. He's also attempting to become the first player in 13 years to post a season with 50 extra-base hits, 50 steals and 65 or less strikeouts. Only nine players have accomplished the feat since 1923. That number shrinks even further if we add in the 215 hits Altuve's on pace for. Only six players in the history of the game have posted seasons like that (Ichiro, Lance Johnson, Tony Gwynn, George Sisler, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker). Only Speaker and Cobb did it at the same age as Altuve.
Leaderboard
Name | Winner | HM |
---|---|---|
Jose Altuve | 5 | 4 |
George Springer | 2 | 3 |
Dexter Fowler | 2 | 3 |
Jason Castro | 2 | 3 |
Chris Carter | 2 | 1 |
Jonathan Villar | 1 | 4 |
Marc Krauss | 1 | 1 |
Bob Grossman | 1 | 0 |
Matt Dominguez | 4 | |
Jesus Guzman | 3 | |
Kiké Hernandez | 2 | |
Marwin Gonzalez | 1 | |
L.J. Hoes | 1 |