Whenever I think of the 2022 Astros, other than the World Series title, I remember that team’s remarkable run prevention. Since 2010, excluding the shortened 2020 season, only the 2022 Dodgers allowed fewer earned runs (451) than Houston that same year (465) across a full season. While the Astros’ lineup was still among the top five in wRC+ (113) and top eight in runs scored (737), the pitching staff put that roster over the top. It was simply an incredible staff and possibly the best staff in club history, with the 2018 staff also in the conversation.
Fast forward three years, and parts of that 2022 pitching staff are still around, namely Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr.