The Houston Astros overcame a dreadful 7-19 start to the 2024 season and are now four games up in the American League West over the Seattle Mariners.
Now, Houston is seemingly pointed towards the postseason, and they should once again be a force to be reckoned with.
October is always a time for players to break out and show the rest of the baseball world what they can do. Sarah Langs of MLB.com predicts that catcher Yainer Diaz will be a breakout star for the Astros this postseason.
"Diaz quickly established himself among impactful catcher at the plate last season with a 128 OPS+ in 104 games as a rookie," Langs wrote. "This year, he's slugging less, but hitting for average. We know what to expect from the Astros' veterans in the playoffs, but it would be so much fun to see Diaz carry over the consistency he's shown all year into October."
The 26-year-old is once again having a solid season. He is hitting .302 with 16 home runs, 84 RBI, and a .774 OPS.
Often times, it's the usual suspects carrying the load for the Astros, those being Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez. But there's always room for a breakout star.
Diaz could be a player that ultimately comes into his own this October, and that would give Houston a major advantage against their opponents.
They likely won't avoid the Wild Card Series, but could still be a threat this postseason. Having Diaz break out alongside the veteran run producers would make the Astros a serious threat to capture their third World Series title.
It will be interesting to see if Diaz can bust out this postseason and help carry the load.
