The Houston Astros have been one of the most surprising teams in MLB this season. They have one of the best one-two punches at the top of the starting rotation, but have dealt with injuries to their pitching staff all season long, and Yordan Alvarez has yet to return from his injury.
Despite that, they lead in the American League West, but it’s undoubtedly going to be a tight race with the Seattle Mariners, who are just one game back from being tied for first. The Astros have been regarded as one of the best-run organizations in MLB over the last several seasons, but everyone makes mistakes regarding contract extensions.
Christian Walker Has Been an Astros Disappointment
The Houston Astros made what appeared to be a very savvy signing in the offseason when they signed first baseman Christian Walker to a three-year, $60 million contract. He spent the last eight seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, clubbing 146 home runs and having an OPS+ of 114.
Walker isn’t having a textbook “bad season”, but just in terms of what the Astros thought they were acquiring, he’s been a little disappointing. His bWAR is -0.5; he has just 16 home runs and a slugging percentage of .401 this season. He hit at least 25 home runs in the last three seasons, with 36 in 2022 and 33 in 2023, while keeping his slugging percentage in the high .400s. His OPS+ this season is slightly below league average at 94, but another significant factor in his disappointment is his defense.
Christian Walker has been one of the best defensive first basemen over the past three seasons, winning three consecutive Gold Gloves so that the Astros would have sacrificed a little bit of offense for a great defender.
Christian Walker’s Defense By the Numbers
In a recent Bleacher Report article that names an ‘Overpaid’ Player at each position, Walker was the selection for first base, and it’s in part due to his defense:
“Over the previous three seasons, Walker supplied the Diamondbacks with incredible value. Instead of $20 million for one year, he cost them a combined total of $20 million for three years in which he both won a Gold Glove and posted an OPS of .800 or better in each. To put it lightly, Houston didn’t get that version of Walker. Not for the first half of the season, at least.
“Per Baseball Savant, the 34-year-old produced a Fielding Run Value of +30 and an Outs Above Average mark of +39 over the past three seasons, but he’s sitting at a 0 in both departments this year. That isn’t terrible by first basemen fielding standards, but it’s a sharp decline in his production. That streak of Gold Gloves is almost certainly coming to an end.
“At the plate, Walker has turned a corner since the beginning of July with an .866 OPS in 31 games played. However, that “like old times” stretch of six weeks only surfaced after he posted a .635 OPS through Houston’s first 84 games—a deep hole from which his year-to-date stats are still trying to climb.”
Christian Walker may still have an opportunity to play in October, which could go a long way in determining his actual value, especially if he hits a couple of big home runs down the stretch. At 34, age isn’t on his side, but the Astros remain committed to him for the next two seasons.
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