The Houston Astros find themselves in unfamiliar territory at this point in the season. They have missed the postseason for the first time since the 2016 season.
Injuries played a big part in this year's failure to make the postseason. They were without Yordan Alvarez for much of the season, alongside Isaac Paredes and Josh Hader.
However, that is not all that played a part in Houston's season ending early. One brutal stat showcases just how lackluster the offense has been at various points in the season.
The one glaring stat that explains the Astros' 2025 collapse
When Houston has been successful in the past, they have had great offensive numbers across the board. They were able to get on base and get hits with runners on base, driving them in, but that was not the case this year. According to Climbing Tal's Hill's Tremayne Person, their low walk rate played a huge part in them missing the playoffs.
"Peel back the emotions, and the season's story keeps pointing to the same, glaring weakness: plate discipline. Houston's team walk rate was just 7.7 percent – 27th out of 30 clubs, leaving too many innings in the pitcher's hands and too few baserunners to sustain rallies."
Houston's low walk rate made it tough to get things going on the basepaths. Top-of-the-order hitters were not as disciplined as they should have been, like Jose Altuve and Yanier Diaz.
"The trend showed up in individual profiles, too. Jose Altuve, still considered a table-setter, finished with a 38.9 percent chase rate, his highest of the Statcast era. Yainer Diaz, a breakout bat by counting numbers, chased even more at 44.3 percent."