It’s still relatively early in Spring Training, but not so much that the Astros haven’t already made some cuts including second-ranked prospect Jacob Melton. The lefty outfielder was hurt early in camp and should be at the major league level at some point this year, but not Opening Day. The fact that Melton and handful of other young players won’t make the major league roster tells a story about how the Astros see themselves in 2025.
This is clearly a team that still thinks it can win a division and, perhaps, make a deep playoff run. But, make no mistake, the transition from what the Astros were and what they will be is underway. By the end of the season, we could have multiple under-25 players manning key spots in the lineup, depending on how the team plays. So, it’s worth a look at the weak spots in the current roster and how those might be impacted going into 2025.
Outfield
Right now, their best outfielder is Chas McCormick. Jose Altuve is better by a wide margin at the plate, but it seems pretty clear he has a long way to go defensively. Jake Meyers is great defensively, but has not shown any competence in the batter’s box. Ben Gamel, who had a good run with the Astros in 2024, is back and a rare lefty batter, but that’s a reach. This is arguably the weakest set of position players on the roster and probably the first candidates for replacement with the likes of Gamel, Zach Dezenzo and, potentially, Melton. The fact that no younger player was able to step up and secure a spot in a group that is shaky at best says both something about the stubbornness of the Astros management when it comes to sticking with major league talent (however modest it may be) and the lack of options in the minors. The entire outfield bears watching early in the season.
Second Base
With Altuve’s move to the outfield, it leaves second wide open. Brice Matthews may be the heir apparent and he’s had a solid spring, but not likely enough to justify a promotion at the beginning of the year. That leaves Mauricio Dubon, who is a terrific defensive infielder and valuable utility man, Brendan Rodgers, who is a light hitting defensive wizard, and Shay Whitcomb, who can hit, but is iffy with the glove. Ultimately, the Astros would love if Matthews stepped up and seized the reins. He has great tools including quite a bit of pop in his bad and speed on the base paths. But, they may have to wait on him to be ready for the big leagues. That leaves more questions than answers at second.
Left-Handed Bats
Assuming we have a pretty good handle on the Opening Day starting lineup, Yordan Alvarez will be the only lefty bat in the entire lineup leaving the Astros extremely vulnerable to big sweepers from right handed pitching. Gamel, Jon Singleton, and switch-hitting Victor Caratini could be the only left-handed bench bats as well. It’s a pretty spare group with the loss of Kyle Tucker. This has never been a lineup with a ton of left-handed availability beyond Tucker and Alvarez, but it’s even more slim pickings this season and that could be trouble unless a few righties can improve their right-left splits.
Bullpen
Rarely will you see an Astros team with more question marks in the bullpen going into a season than this one. For a franchise that has the eighth and ninth seemingly sewn up, it is pretty bereft of options beyond that. Tayler Scott, Bryan King and the unproven Forrest Whitley might be their current best bets until Kaleb Ort can return from injury. Could Rafael Montero be back in the pen again this season? The very fact we have to ask the question demonstrates the issues facing a very thin bunch. Starting the season without depth in the bullpen is a recipe for disaster, not just in the early outings, but because it strains starters who might not be ready to go six or seven innings out of the gate.ย
