The baseball season can turn on a dime. We’ve learned this in the last five days here in Houston. Less than a week ago, the Houston Astros were sitting at 5-2, fresh off a sweep of the Boston Red Sox, and leading the league in practically every offensive barrister. Times were good!
Now, here we sit, one week later, and after losing two out of three to the Athletics, and (even worse) getting swept by the woeful Colorado Rockies, the Astros sit at 6-7. Their ace starting pitcher, Hunter Brown, is out for the next couple months with a shoulder strain, and the injuries are beginning to stack up.
Other than an illness for Carlos Correa and some sort of back under for Jake Meyers, the everyday lineup has stayed healthy. That’s a good thing, because the Astros will likely need to win a lot of game by scores of, say, 8-6 or 10-9. Essentially, the Astros are a beer league softball team.
So, with Hunter Brown out, what is the pecking order of the most valuable Houston Astros, including Brown? Who can they least afford to lose? Good news! I have the answer to that question. Without further ado, they are the ten most valuable Houston Astros, thus far, in 2026, based on both actual and needed performance:
10. MIKE BURROWS
With Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier both out with shoulder injuries, the value of any starting pitcher is amplified. Burrows has shown some good signs in his first few starts as an Astro, and he’s been the victim of some soft contact and bad luck. However, he still has an ERA of over 5.00. Somehow, some way, Burrows and Tatsuya Imai (and probably Lance McCullers, as well) will need to lead the way.
9. CAM SMITH
Of all the young players on this team, Smith is the one who needs to become a foundational piece for the next era of Astros baseball. He’s gotten off to an encouraging start offensively, including the longest home run in the majors this season (462 feet), and his defense in right field is always elite.
8. JEREMY PENA
Pena is out of the gate slow, at least by the standard he set in 2025, when he was a top 10 finisher in the MVP race. He’s missed a few games as the team brings him back slowly from the broken finger he suffered playing in a WBC exhibition game in March. His uncharacteristic defensive blunders opened the gate for Monday’s loss to the Rockies.
7. CHRISTIAN WALKER
Walker’s resurgence has been perhaps the most encouraging story of the season, so far. His strikeout rate is way down compared to last season, and he leads the team in doubles. Walker’s defense is always going to be, at a minimum, well above average. Walker’s becoming worth his $20 million salary has been a positive development.
6. CARLOS CORREA
Correa missed the last two games with an illness, and the Astros lost the two games by a combined score of 14-2. There probably isn’t an absolute direct correlation, but Correa’s value in the middle of the lineup and defensively along the infield, not to mention his leadership, are indispensable elements if the Astros are going to make a run to the postseason.
5. TATSUYA IMAI
Hey Tatsuya! Welcome to America! You’re now the ace of this team after just two starts where you have an ERA of 4.32! Congratulations!
4. JOSH HADER
Hader has been out since August of last year, first with a shoulder injury that ended his 2025 season, and now with a biceps inflammation he suffered in spring training. Prior to getting injured, Hader was in the running for the Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year Award. His value to this team is felt acutely right now, with his replacement, Bryan Abreu, giving up at least one run in literally all of his appearances this season, as he puts up an ERA of nearly 20.00.
3. JOSE ALTUVE
It feels strange to say this, given Altuve’s track for the Hall of Fame in several years, but the 2026 version of Altuve has been somewhat of a revelation. His judgment at the plate has improved massively, in part due to the new ABS challenge system holding umpires accountable for their historically inconsistent strike sone with Altuve. His OPS is near 1.000, and he is among the league leaders in walks. Altuve’s indispensability is, in part, due to just how weird this team would feel sans Altuve.
2. HUNTER BROWN
- YORDAN ALVAREZ
These are the big two. The health of both Brown and Alvarez is a near non-negotiable element to this team recapturing its playoff magic. We are finding this out, for the first time, with Brown, who’d never been injured before this should issue. They’re 0-1 in games that would have been a start for Brown. Alvarez won AL Player fo the Week honors in the first week of the season, a week in which the Astros averaged seven runs a game. Against Colorado, Alvarez was completely shut down, and the Astros averaged three runs a game. This is not a coincidence. Alvarez has a transformative effect on the whole lineup, when he’s operating at his peak.
