Christian Walker Is Exorcising Jose Abreu’s Demons for Astros Fans

At 14-21, very little has gone right for the Houston Astros to start 2026, giving new meaning to the term “Houston, we have a problem”.

Was this supposed to be the same team that formed quite the American League dynasty in recent years? No. However, one of the worst records in baseball didn’t seem like the outcome either for this squad.

That being said, as bad of a start as it’s been for the Astros, there have been a few individual names that they can hang their hats on. One of these is Christian Walker.

The veteran has provided an answer at first base this season, which has long been a confusing position for the organization.

During their World Series-winning days, it was Yuli Gurriel occupying the first base bag, and he did so adequately. However, apart from a pair of seasons above a 130 wRC+, he tended to trend more towards league average during his time in Space City.

This, of course, prompted the Astros to go out and seek a change, and they did so in what was thought to be a major way, signing former AL MVP José Abreu to a three-year, $58.5 million contract ahead of the 2023 season.

However, things weren’t right from the word go with Abreu in Houston. He had never registered an OPS lower than .798 or a wRC+ below 114 in his career before he signed with the Astros, but he reached all-new lows in both categories after the change of scenery.

In 594 plate appearances in 2023, Abreu may have driven in a respectable 90 runs, but he slashed just .237/.296/.383 with an 86 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR. It wasn’t great at all, but at the time, it wasn’t worth the team giving up on the lucrative investment they made with him.

That came in 2024, when after he posted a .124/.167/.195 slash line with a 0 wRC+ and spent the majority of the month of May in the minors, the Astros released him on June 14, with a year and a half left on his contract.

Houston went back to the drawing board, and this is where Walker comes in. He signed a three-year, $60 million contract ahead of the 2025 campaign.

This union didn’t start off swimmingly either. While his season wasn’t as painful as either of Abreu’s was, he was certainly underwhelming.

If you were to look up the term “painfully average” in the dictionary, Walker’s 2025 season might be the definition you see next to it. The first baseman hit just .238 with a .717 OPS and a 99 wRC+, with his 27 homers and 88 RBI being his only saving grace at the dish.

Even his defense took a step back, as his -7 DRS, 2 OAA and 2 FRV paled in comparison to his Gold Glove-winning effort he had the year prior in Arizona, in which he posted 7 DRS, 13 OAA and 10 FRV.

All in all, this resulted in a very pedestrian-looking 1.1 fWAR.

However, unlike Abreu, it really looks as though Walker’s first year was actually just a blip as he acclimated to his new surroundings, because at long last, the Astros appear to have righted the wrongs of Abreu at first base.

Walker Has Come Out Firing on all Cylinders for the Astros

Apart from Yordan Alvarez, unanimously considered one of baseball’s most feared hitters, Walker has been the Astros next best hitter. A real Robin to Alvarez’s Batman.

Through the first 35 games of the season, Walker is on pace for a career year. He’s slashing .317/.396/.579 with eight homers, 26 RBI and a 168 wRC+.

Looking beyond his back-of-the-card stats, his underlying metrics are something to behold as well.

And while the jury may be out on whether his Gold Glove defense is back, Walker is certainly better looking than his 2025 self in the early going, accumulating 3 DRS and 1 FRV already.

The Astros have plenty of problems, especially on the pitching side of things, that have held them down in the season’s maiden stages. And while Walker can certainly aid them in their pursuit of better baseball, he likely can’t pull them out of all their problems on his own.

However, amid all they have to worry about – with the possibility of missing back-to-back postseasons for the first time since 2014 looking more and more likely by the day if they don’t pull themselves out of their funk soon – first base is not one of those things.

After everything they had to go through with Abreu, this is a very welcome sight and at the very least, a small consolation for their early-season woes.

Stats updated prior to games on May 4.