Among the 25 World Series champions since 2000, how did the 2017 Astros land in this spot?
It’s difficult to overstate how much the Astros lost before 2017. From 2011 through 2013, they lost 106, 107 and 111 games, then still dropped 92 in 2014. As those draft picks selected during those terrible seasons started to make it to the bigs, though, Houston’s fortunes changed: in 2015, they made the postseason for the first time since 2005, and then in 2017 they won 101 games and found themselves in the World Series against the 104-win Dodgers.
Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer and Alex Bregman were all stars in the lineup — three of the four made the All-Star team, even, and there was certainly an argument for Bregman to make the AL’s Midsummer Classic roster, too — and all homegrown. Altuve led the AL in hits and the majors in batting average, but it wasn’t an empty average, despite his (generous) listed height of 5-foot-6. Altuve hit 24 homers and 67 extra-base hits overall while slugging .547, second on the team among regulars behind Correa. The only flaw in Correa’s game was that he missed considerable time: the shortstop logged just 109 games played in ‘17, but in that time he slugged .550 with 50 extra-base hits of his own, and was plenty healthy in the postseason, where he batted .288/.325/.562 with five homers and 14 RBIs in 18 games. Bregman was valuable at the plate and defensively, too, and while his true breakout was to come, he was still a four-win player at age 23, on a championship team. Springer hit .283/.367/.522 with 34 homers in the regular season, then a ridiculous .292/.386/.611 with 6 homers and 44 total bases in the postseason, with five of those blasts coming in the World Series alone, earning him MVP honors.
Josh Reddick signed as a free agent before the season, and was just as good as Bregman. Yuli Gurriel, signed as an amateur free agent in mid-2016, had his first full campaign and posted an .817 OPS. Nori Aoki and Carlos Beltran didn’t provide much in the lineup, but they didn’t have to with all of the above happening. Throw in a rotation that included Dallas Keuchel (2.90 ERA), Brad Peacock (3.00) and Charlie Morton (3.63) before the midseason Justin Verlander acquisition, and you understand another reason why it didn’t much matter that two lineup spots underperformed.
You can’t talk about the 2017 Astros without mentioning the sign-stealing scandal that saw them punished with fines and lost draft picks — as well as executives suspended by MLB — but even with that going on, it’s difficult to deny how absurdly good this team was. Altuve was a marvel; Springer’s World Series performance was one for the ages; a healthy Carlos Correa has always been a special player. Seeing Justin Verlander finally win a ring was its own kind of special, and Houston’s fans certainly suffered enough over the years waiting for a championship — even the Bagwell and Biggio years never provided one.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
