If you were to examine the Astros‘ bullpen exclusively by the numbers, you’d find a unit with the second-best ERA (2.75) with the best strikeout-minus-walk rate (23.7%). It is not idiotic to think that Houston has one of the better bullpens in baseball this season. Do I dare say one of the best? Even if you don’t agree with advanced metrics, the combination of low ERA and walk rate combined with a high strikeout rate is a compelling piece of evidence.
That said, one cannot ignore the various underlying issues. Let’s look at some advanced metrics now.