📢 TOP STORY: Three standout positives from Houston’s 2025 season remind the Astros why their future may be stronger than it seems ⚡.DD
The Houston Astros have quite a bit to be thankful for this year, despite their disappointing end to the season.
The Houston Astros took a lot of flak for dropping the end of their 2025 campaign, but let’s not forget the troubles the franchise faced throughout the season. Now, their eyes are fixated on returning to playoff contention next year.
In an effort to do so, the Astros have been scurrying about this offseason, scoping out their next move. One of those moves could involve replacing starter Framber Valdez with Ranger Suárez. However, this is all hypothetical with endless question marks.
With the Thanksgiving season upon us, now is the perfect time to do some reflection on what’s already been done, rather than focusing on what could happen in the future. With that, here are three things Houston should be thankful for this year.
Development of Young TalentEmpty heading
With the Astros looking to build this offseason, already having young talent on hand is imperative. In the past, their focus hasn’t revolved around their top prospects, but this is starting to change. With top prospects such as 25-year-old outfielder Jacob Melton and 23-year-old infielder Brice Matthews, Houston is outfitted with natural talent.
These players will continue developing this offseason, ideally in preparation for long and fulfilling careers with the Astros.
Rise of Hunter BrownEmpty heading
Along the lines of young talent, right-hander Hunter Brown emerged during his latest campaign, and what a sight it was. Recording a 2.43 ERA across 185.1 innings pitched, Brown is quickly cementing himself as a future Cy Young Award recipient. His MLB debut came on Sept. 5, 2022, and he’s been on the rise ever since.
As long as Brown continues to deliver strong results, holding onto him would be in the Astros’ best interest. If he’s producing these numbers while still relatively fresh into his career at just 27 years old, only time will tell where the young baseball prodigy will end up down the road.
Proven ResilienceEmpty heading
Houston was plagued by injuries more than any other franchise this season — a known fact. At one point over the summer, they even clocked a shocking number of 18 players on the IL, with 28 players spending time on the IL over the course of the year at various times, including their stars Jeremy Peña and Josh Hader.
Despite the ongoing injury saga, they maintained a lead in the American League West for quite some time before the Seattle Mariners ultimately climbed on top. All things considered, this was an impressive feat for the struggling franchise. Their ability to push forward and maintain composure throughout the campaign was admirable.
