Houston Astros fans might be looking for someone to blame for the team’s sluggish start to the 2024 season. But according to an ESPN Houston show, ‘The Killer B’s’, the retrospective finger shouldn’t be pointed at first-year manager Joe Espada. They argue Espada is being made the scapegoat for a much bigger problem: underperforming star players. “This is not Espada’s fault at all,” says analyst Joel Blank on the show. adding, “The players have to play.”

Blank acknowledges that there might be room for some criticism of Espada’s lineup choices but insists that the core issue lies elsewhere. “This is on all the guys that aren’t doing their job,” he declared. So who are these underachieving Astros?

Not Pulling Their Weight: If not Joe Espada, then who? 

Not so surprisingly, veteran slugger José Abreu is at the top of the list. Blank emphasized that this year, Abreu is “on pace to nearly double the worst season for a position player in Major League Baseball history.” Yikes!

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As Jeremy Branham points out, fellow veteran Alex Bregman isn’t faring much better either—he has been a “three- or four-hole hitter all year, mostly four-hole, and he’s hitting .213 with a .582 OPS.” And the struggles extend beyond the big names.

The frustration is apparent in his voice when Branham scrutinizes young outfielder Chas McCormick, who was expected to build on a strong 2023 but has gotten off to a slow start and “has been bad up until this series; he’s got the average up to .262, not awful.” Center fielder Jake Meyers’ bat hasn’t come alive either, raising questions about his everyday status and leading the analysts to believe that he is “not very good offensively to the point where he can’t be your everyday outfielder.” Does this put the skipper completely off the hook?

Hold on a minute, Astros fans. While these guys over at ESPN are big on defending Joe Espada, they’re not giving him a free pass—not yet. Branham acknowledges that Espada hasn’t been perfect, particularly with lineup construction.

Some fans might be wondering if a coaching change would spark a turnaround. The analysts don’t believe so. They point out that even under legendary skipper Dusty Baker, the team would likely be facing similar woes with the current roster’s performance. However, Branham also argues that “batting orders are extremely overrated” and that the team’s struggles run deeper than a few lineups and coaching tweaks.

Dusty Baker (probably) wouldn’t be a magic cure

“Dusty Baker would be going to the same exact players that we’re seeing Joe Espada go to,” says Blank. Baker’s loyalty to veterans like Abreu might even exacerbate the issue, according to him. Branham doesn’t take a second to add on to their current woes—“Josh Hader, pitching to an 8.38 ERA and blowing save and blowing save and blowing save, that’s not something you can really out manage, at least from first pitch to last out. Bryan Abreu, one of your top guys, has an ERA of right around 5. Ryan Pressly, 8.31 ERA.” On top of that, let’s not forget the elephant in the room—injuries.

Key starting pitchers Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander, and Cristian Javier have all spent time on the injured list. That’s a significant blow to any team’s rotation at the top of the season. So, what’s the verdict?

The Stros’ struggles seem to be a perfect storm of underperforming players and bad luck with injuries. While Joe Espada might not be flawless, it appears the bigger issues lie with the guys on the field, who need to rediscover their hitting strokes and stay healthy. Still, it looks like the skipper might have some wiggle room for improvement.

One interesting takeaway from ‘The Killer B’s’ discussion is the subtle criticism of Espada’s lineup choices. While they don’t necessarily advocate for a complete overhaul, it seems there’s some room for tweaking to optimize production. How the skipper responds to these critiques could be a storyline to watch as the season progresses.