The Astros put up a 106-56 record this year, cruising to a second straight AL West title, a bye through the Wild Card round and a sixth consecutive postseason appearance.
Right-Handed Pitchers
- Bryan Abreu
- Hunter Brown
- Luis Garcia
- Cristian Javier
- Lance McCullers Jr. (Game 3 starter)
- Rafael Montero
- Hector Neris
- Ryan Pressly
- Ryne Stanek
- Jose Urquidy
- Justin Verlander (Game 1 starter)
Left-Handed Pitchers
- Framber Valdez (Game 2 starter)
Catchers
Infielders
- Jose Altuve
- Alex Bregman
- Aledmys Diaz
- Mauricio Dubon
- Yuli Gurriel
- David Hensley
- Trey Mancini
- Jeremy Pena
Outfielders
The Astros have a well-rounded roster but arguably the most-impressive part of it this year has been the starting pitching. The club’s starters threw a combined 950 innings this year, easily the most in baseball, with Cleveland’s 907 frames a distant second. Houston’s starting core didn’t just provide quantity, as the quality was there as well. Their 2.95 ERA was bested only by the Dodgers, who put up a 2.75 mark but in a smaller workload of 870 1/3 innings. Advanced metrics such as FIP, xFIP and SIERA actually pegged the Astros’ starters at being a smidge better than their counterparts in Los Angeles.
Even during the regular season, the club’s rotation was so strong that a solid starter like Cristian Javier was bumped to the bullpen for a time. In a short playoff series, that gives the club plenty of flexibility. This year’s ALDS has an odd schedule that features off-days after both Game 1 and Game 2. That means Verlander could start Game 1 and then also take the ball in Game 4 on regular rest. With Valdez and McCullers starting the games in between, that pushes Javier, Garcia and Urquidy to the bullpen or perhaps starting a fifth game, though Valdez could also be tapped to go on short rest.
Perhaps the most notable thing about this roster is what it lacks: left-handed pitching. With Valdez being the only southpaw on the roster, the club will have no lefties available out of the bullpen. That’s nothing new, however, as the only lefties other than Framber to throw more than ten innings for the Astros this year were Blake Taylor and deadline-acquisition Will Smith. Taylor has missed most of the season due to injury and last appeared with the big league club in June, but the omission of Smith is notable. Acquired in a deadline deal that sent Jake Odorizzi to Atlanta, Smith was struggling a bit in the first half, registering a 4.38 ERA prior to the trade. He righted the ship somewhat after, putting up a 3.27 ERA after becoming an Astro, though it evidently wasn’t enough to get him a roster spot. Despite playing with a lack of lefties through most of the season, Houston still held left-handed hitters to a line of .202/.272/.319, meaning there’s little reason for them to worry.
Another notable absence is Phil Maton, who pitched to a 3.84 ERA over 65 2/3 innings this year. He will be done for the year after punching a locker in frustration last week and breaking a bone in his hand.