Chas McCormick Has Turned Into A DUDE For The Houston Astros
Yeah, Dusty Baker should probably start playing this guy every day. The Houston Astros are still outstanding. Until proven otherwise, they are the bogeyman of Major League Baseball. Games like last night against the Rangers prove that. I’m not guaranteeing that they will win this American League West, but they’re the last sleeping giant any baseball team wants to wake up. That said, from an offensive standpoint, they have not been as consistent as they’ve been in years past. There are legit excuses for why. José Altuve and Yordan Alvarez have missed significant time with injuries. José Abreu, one of their big off-season signings, has had a disastrous campaign. Only Kyle Tucker has lived up to the hype, but then you have Chas McCormick, who has been a revelation for the Houston Astros over the last several months.
McCormick was pretty solid a season ago for Houston as a good defensive centerfielder with occasional power in his bat. He had a big-time homer in Game Three of the ALCS last season off of Gerrit Cole. But he'll have a lifetime pass from Astros fans for his amazing catch in Game Five of the World Series to rob J.T. Realmuto of extra bases, but I don't think anyone expected that he would have this kind of offensive of production in 2023. In 61 games, he's got an OPS of .902. With Yordan Álvarez and José Altuve on the injured list, he's been their best offensive player outside of Kyle Tucker this season, which sounds crazy. He's one of those guys who began the season as a platoon outfielder, but he's played himself into an everyday role for the defending champions. Do I think there will be some offensive regression at some point? Yeah, I do. His batted ball date isn't great. He's only in the 30th percentile in average exit velocity and the 31st percentile in hard-hit percentage. Even if there is some regression, he'll be remembered as a player who carried the Houston Astros for an entire month. Since July 1, his OPS has been 1.216. Those are elite numbers. Last night he almost single-handedly carried the Astros to a comeback win against the Texas Rangers, driving in a career-high six runs and hitting an extremely clutch three-run shot off of Aroldis Chapman to tie the game.
A player like Chas McCormick is a prime example of why an organization like the Astros continues to prove time and time again that they have their shit together. McCormick was not a first-round pick. In fact, he was a 21st-round pick. Remember, there are only 20 rounds in today's draft, so McCormick would've been shit out of luck had he been available a few years earlier. He was never a top 100 prospect, and even coming into the season, I think they were a heavy amount of Houston Astros fans who were like, "Fuck it, Chas McCormick in center? Sure, that works, I guess." I don't believe that there are bad farm systems. There are only bad organizations. There's talent all across the minor leagues; some organizations just don't know how to develop it. I've said it before, but the best organizations just know how to find guys. And the Houston Astros have found a dude in Chas McCormick.