How Bad Were the Astros in April

How bad are the Astros?  The numbers tell the story.

A comparison of the April performance with the last three forgettable Astro teams is not encouraging.  The hitting figures are particularly noticeable.  The batting average of .210 is so low that it is almost unbelievable.  Six of the 14 position players who played for the Astros in April had batting averages under .200 and only Jose Altuve and Marwin Gonzalez had batting averages over .250.  The team had 29 home runs, ranking 4 ^th in the American League but averaged only 3.14 runs per game reflecting the lack of baserunners.

It’s hard to find much encouragement in these numbers but the record in April 2014 of 9-19 is better than the 7-19 record in April 2013.  The pitching wasn’t good but it was better than last year.  There were some bright spots on the staff with Collin McHugh turning in two excellent starts after being promoted from Oklahoma City and Scott Feldman had three strong starts before hitting the 15-day disabled list.  The rest of the starters were inconsistent and the team has not found a closer as none of the relievers had more than 2 saves.

The most noteworthy development in April was the promotion of outfielder, George Springer, a top prospect in the minor league system.  It appears that he may have been brought up too soon as he batted .182 in April with no extra base hits and 19 strikeouts while committing 5 errors in right field.  However, there is no doubt he has talent and can be expected to perform much better for the rest of the season.

With so many players performing below reasonable expectations and Feldman returning from the disabled list, there is reason to expect better results in May and the succeeding months.  While the Astros did not have the worst record in the major leagues in April (Arizona did), they are still a long way from being a legitimate contender.