Quietly and slowly, the Houston Astros started building a powerhouse in the beginning of the 2010s decade.
They broke out in the second half of that decade, after years of solid scouting, player development, and savvy player acquisitions.
They won the 2017 World Series title, but far from dismantling the franchise, they have remained competitive and ever-present playoff performers.
They lost World Series in both 2019 and 2021, but reaching three Fall Classics in a span of five years is really something else.
The organization is full of smart people who know who to acquire, and how to develop players and prospects.
MLB writer and analyst Danny Vietti showed us the perfect example.
“The Astros lose Beltran and Gattis. They replace them with Yordan Alvarez. They lose Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton. They bring up Luis Garcia and Framber Valdez. Out goes George Springer. Here comes Kyle Tucker. They lose Carlos Correa. In steps Jeremy Peña. It’s a factory,” he tweeted.
The Astros lose Beltran and Gattis. They replace them with Yordan Alvarez.
They lose Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton. They bring up Luis Garcia and Framber Valdez.
Out goes George Springer. Here comes Kyle Tucker.
They lose Carlos Correa. In steps Jeremy Peña.
It's a factory.
— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) April 25, 2022
An Incredible Organization
Alvarez, Cole, and Morton came to Houston in savvy trades.
The last two aren’t part of the organization anymore, but definitely left their mark, while Yordan is mashing and blossoming into one of MLB’s premier sluggers.
Tucker is an elite performer, a worthy replacement for Springer.
And while everybody thought Houston would definitely suffer Correa’s loss, Pena came from the minor leagues and ran with the shortstop gig in spring training.
Pena has been extremely strong on both offense and defense.
In fact, with a .260/.333/.540 line, three home runs, and some slick fielding at the shortstop position, he leads the Astros’ position players in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with 1.0.
He has been pretty impressive, and the franchise, once again, produced a quality major leaguer.
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