Eric Cole

1 week ago | climbingtalshill.com | Eric Cole

When the Houston Astros picked Walker Janek in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft, it was because they considered him to be the best defensive catcher available, and one that had some pop in his bat. Despite having Yainer Diaz in the fold, Houston was adamant at the time that Janek was the best player available, and believed he could be an important part of their future. There were doubts that crept into the minds of some fans when Janek struggled during his first look at pro ball.

2 weeks ago | climbingtalshill.com | Eric Cole

Relievers are a volatile commodity, and that's always going to be the way things go. Houston Astros fans saw one of the best bullpen arms in baseball — Josh Hader — struggle last year, only to bounce back in 2025 back into one of MLB's elite relievers. Unfortunately, the opposite has been true of Tayler Scott who has seen his stock absolutely crater. Scott was a fun surprise in 2024, and a key cog in Houston's bullpen.

2 weeks ago | climbingtalshill.com | Eric Cole

One of the prevailing (and understandable) narratives surrounding the Houston Astros coming into the season was their lack of pitching depth. Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi had new teams, and while the Astros added Hayden Wesneski, they still seemed to be playing with fire. What fans didn't know, however, was that Houston was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers.Recent call-up of Brandon Walter was the latest example.

2 weeks ago | climbingtalshill.com | Eric Cole

The Houston Astros' pitching staff has easily been the biggest reason why the Astros have hung around as long as they have this season. The rotation has been legitimately great despite several losses and patchwork solutions and Josh Hader has once again become the best reliever in baseball. Unfortunately, it certainly seems like that vaunted staff is about to take yet another hit with the latest updated on what is going on with Ronel Blanco's elbow.

2 weeks ago | climbingtalshill.com | Eric Cole

The Houston Astros would surely love to have some more lineup options at the moment. They are very famously too right-handed at the moment especially with Yordan Alvarez out and the offense has lagged behind what has been surprisingly good pitching this season. While ideally guys like Christian Walker and Jose Altuve would get going again, it seems like the Astros' latest signing could be targeting the roster spot occupied by Brendan Rodgers.