One of the few bright spots for the Astros last year was the second-half offense, which was the hottest in baseball. The Astros entered the first half of this season without skipping a beat. They rank at the top of the National League in the most important offensive categories and, as their road statistics demonstrate, are by no means a mere creation of Enron Field:
Split R/G Avg OBP Slg HR% ------------------------------------- Total 5.52 .276 .352 .474 4.50 NL Rank 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st ------------------------------------- Road 5.30 .272 .346 .463 4.45 NL Rank 3rd 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd
Astros fans know without opening a newspaper or loading a Web page that the most offense this season has come from all-star outfielders Lance Berkman and Moises Alou. What they might not realize is that the Astros are offensively above-average almost across the board. Indeed, comparing the Astros to the National League average at each position, they excel at eight of eleven positions, including pinch hitter and designated hitter.
The basis for comparison is OPS+, a measure used in Total Baseball to normalize on-base percentage and slugging average to league average. A player with a league-average OBP and slugging average rates 100. The equation is as follows:
OPS+ = [(OBP/LgOBP) + (Slg/LgSlg) – 1] * 100
It should be borne in mind that while the Astros are a fine-hitting road team, they do still benefit from the offensive characteristics of Enron. The OPS+ for the Astros and their opponents has been 113 at Enron and 108 elsewhere. The figures below do not include park adjustments, but on average four to six points of OPS+ are probably attributable to Enron. Below is a position-by-position glance at the 2001 Astros on offense.
Pitcher
P Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .108 .146 .146 .292 NL .141 .172 .184 .356
Believe it or not, neither catcher nor third base is the worst offensive position for the Astros relative to the National League: pitcher is. The pitchers have an OPS+ of 64. Fortunately, no team expects much offense out of its pitchers, particularly since they get about half as many at-bats as any other position. Over a full season, the difference between Astros pitchers at their current clip and the National League average would probably amount to about three runs. If you have to choose a position to suffer at the plate, this is it.
Catcher
C Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .222 .287 .321 .608 NL .254 .321 .397 .718
Catcher has been almost as bad as pitcher, with an OPS+ of 70. Even worse is that Tony Eusebio, who has caught about a third of the Astros’ games, is bringing the OPS+ up. Brad Ausmus, presently batting below the Mendoza Line, would make the Astros even worse at the position if permitted more plate appearances.
First Base
1B Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .267 .379 .523 .902 NL .260 .347 .440 .787
One definition of an all-time great: in one of the worst seasons of his career, he still posts an OPS+ of 128 at the most competitive offensive position. Of course first base includes six games by Daryle Ward, Charlie Hayes, and Orlando Merced as well, but the vast majority of plate appearances belong to Jeff Bagwell.
Instead of dwelling on how much Bagwell is hurting the Astros at the No. 3 hole in the line-up, fans should be wondering how much more dangerous the offense might be if Bagwell really heats up. Over his career he has posted a batting average 12 points higher and an OBP 16 points higher in the second half. Those extra times on base mean more RBI opportunities for Berkman and Alou. It is hoped that history repeats itself and Bagwell breaks out of whatever is ailing him.
Second Base
2B Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .303 .390 .487 .877 NL .273 .338 .399 .737
One of the little-noted success stories league-wide this year is Craig Biggio. Due mostly to his play coming off season-ending injury in 2000, the Astros have a sparkling OPS+ of 137 at second base. Jose Vizcaino and Mendy Lopez have also shared 10 games at second base, but Biggio has taken the lion’s share of playing time, which has been justified by the results.
Third Base
3B Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .252 .306 .449 .755 NL .277 .347 .455 .802
The third position where the Astros are in deficit is third base with an OPS+ of 87. Chris Truby did much of the damage in his 34 games, with Hayes contributing to the carnage in 11 games. Vizcaino and Merced have played five games between them there. Since his arrival in Houston, Vinny Castilla has provided a pleasant surprise, playing better than his Tampa Bay performance suggested. His numbers are middling, but next to Truby and Hayes he looks serviceable.
Shortstop
SS Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .290 .338 .431 .769 NL .260 .311 .375 .686
With an OPS+ of 124, Astros shortstops have provided considerably more offense than the National League average. Julio Lugo has played three-quarters of the games and contributed the most at the plate. Vizcaino has batted poorly in his games there. Castilla has played two games at shortstop as well, making just two plate appearances.
Left Field
LF Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .305 .394 .554 .948 NL .285 .369 .500 .869
A five-headed hybrid that includes a little Lugo and Merced, some Ward and Richard Hidalgo, and a lot of Berkman, left field for the Astros has posted an OPS+ of 118. Hidalgo has been atrocious in games when he plays left field, pulling down the spectacular numbers Berkman has posted at the position.
Center Field
CF Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .315 .408 .631 1.039 NL .275 .336 .434 .770
The position where Berkman and Hidalgo have done the best of their hitting is center field, with a combined OPS+ of 167. Center field Hidalgo looks close to the monster at the plate of last year. Left field Hidalgo is bringing his overall numbers down. Berkman of course has been stellar at both positions. Glen Barker has been a non-factor offensively in 19 plate appearances as a center fielder.
Right Field
RF Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .343 .388 .568 .956 NL .281 .357 .494 .851
A hot start by Ward and a hotter performance by Alou have yielded an OPS+ of 124 from right field. Hidalgo and Merced have posted subpar offensive performances as right fielders. Lugo and Berkman have played a little at the position, too.
Pinch Hitter
PH Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .223 .341 .408 .749 NL .222 .308 .342 .650
A change from last year, the Astros are better than league average at pinch hitter, with an OPS+ of 130. The numbers are still pretty unimpressive, but that goes for the National League as a whole. Merced, Ward, Hayes, and Vizcaino have done the vast majority of pinch hitting. The batting averages are lackluster, but Merced, Ward, and Hayes have at least managed to get on base at a decent clip, and Merced and Ward have hit for power. Someone else will get Hayes’ plate appearances since the Astros released him.
Designated Hitter
DH Avg OBP Slg OPS ---------------------------- Hou .286 .375 .457 .832 NL .250 .308 .292 .600
A sign of their offensive depth, the Astros have posted much better numbers at designated hitter than the National League average. The numbers include just nine games, but their OPS+ is 178. The big bopper has been Alou.
Of the three positions where the Astros are below-average, the Astros could probably improve themselves by playing Ausmus less at catcher and having AAA farmhand Morgan Ensberg ready to go at third base if Castilla returns to the Trubyesque form he showed with the Devil Rays. Castilla is hitting well in July, so maybe his renaissance will continue. As for the pitchers, as long as they maintain their performance on the mound, no one will begrudge them their offensive ineptitude.