What Else Could Be Perfect For Us?

“I wonder what else could be perfect for the three of us?”

Most of you in the Houston area have seen the entertaining HEB Food Store TV commercials which feature the Astros’ “Big Three” stars from 2017 ~ namely Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and George Springer. If so, then you recall the one in which a fun game of miniature golf among them causes Springer to exclaim how “perfect” this fun has been as it also inspires Altuve to smile and place his hand on his chin as he gazes off to some far horizon.

“I wonder what else could be perfect for the three of us?” Altuve considers.

We then get to watch some funny possibilities in the commercial, but none include the question, “Will the 2018 season be as perfect for the three of us as the 2017 season tried to be?” I say “tried to be” because Jose Altuve was the only member of the Astros Musketeers to use 2017 as a big connecting dot to his eventually possible induction into the Hall of Fame. The two others simply posted productive years and leadership to a young team that was on its way to a dramatic pursuit and capture of the franchise’s first World Series victory.

For reasons of injury and whatever, none of the three most famous contemporary Astro position players have escaped downturns in their personal records in 2018 on a club that features Justin Verlander for a full season as a starter, the addition of Gerrit Cole as full season member of the rotation, the acquisition of Roberto Osuna as one of the best closers in baseball, a general improvement in the relief staff, the total team balance upgrade, and the offensive coming of age by Alex Bregman as a blossoming sky’s-the-limit star.

In brief, Springer needs to regain the confidence and concentration that allowed him to be one of the most feared lead-off hitters in the American League in 2017. Altuve simply needs time to fully recover and get back to full capacity as a great hitter. Nobody, not even Altuve, wins a batting championship every season. And Correa needs to fully recover from the back injury that still plays with his muscles and his mind in matters that require the body to move abruptly down to catch or swing at a fast-moving baseball. If you’ve ever had a back injury, as I have too, then you also know that the threat of that electrically painful shock at any moment plants a threat that does nothing to relax any free movement.

Here are some statistical comparisons for each of these Astro stars which show 2017 production versus the same data for 2018 through September 26, 2018:

Jose Altuve	G	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BA	SA
2017	153	590	112	204	81	39	4	24	.346	.547
2018 to 9/25	134	525	84	165	61	28	2	13	.314	.451

George Springer	G	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BA	SA
2017	140	548	112	155	85	29	0	34	.283	.522
2018 to 9/25	138	539	100	143	69	26	0	21	.265	.430

Carlos Correa	G	AB	R	H	RBI	2B	3B	HR	BA	SA
2017	109	422	82	133	84	25	1	24	.315	.391
2018 to 9/25	107	390	59	93	62	19	1	14	.238	.323

What Else Could Be Perfect For Us Fans, Jose? How about you guys coming together just in time to win us a 2019 season that’s filled with another round of ~ this time ~ Replica 2018 2nd Astros World Series Victory Ring giveaways with the purchase of certain target date home game tickets?

And, oh yes, Good Luck in the near-at-hand 2018 ALDS versus the Cleveland Indians, Astros!

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