The Houston Astros won their eighth straight postseason after winning the American League West division for the fourth straight year and finishing with an 88-73 record.
Although the Astros made the playoffs again, their streak of seven consecutive American League appearances ended as they were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the wild-card round.
Last season saw the Astros part ways with several key players, including starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, starting shortstop Justin Verlander and outfielder Kyle Tucker.
Although the Astros lost several key starting pitchers, they still have Frember Valdez, who leads MLB in hitting since 2020.
According to MLB’s “X,” Valdez leads the league in wins since 2020 with 60.
All he does is win pic.twitter.com/CFHke84UHH
— MLB (@MLB) January 26, 2025
Since 2020, Valdes has the most wins in MLB, passing other All-Star players such as Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees, Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies and Chris Bassitt of the Toronto Blue Jays.
It makes it easier for a starting pitcher to get wins when the offense can run the way the Astros have over the years, but Valdez has also been great on his own.
Valdes entered the majors in 2018 with the Astros and has spent all seven seasons of his career with the team.
In 2024, Valdez started 28 games with a record of 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 176.1 innings.
The 15-win season was Valdez’s second-highest of his career, and he will look to build on the successful 2024 season in 2025.
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