2020 Houston Astros season

The 2020 Houston Astros season is the 59th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas, their 56th as the Astros, eighth in the AL West division, and 21st at Minute Maid Park. The team enter the season as the defending champions of the American League.

2020 Houston Astros
Major League affiliations
American League (since 2013)
AL West Division (since 2013)
Location
Minute Maid Park (since 2000) Houston, Texas (since 1962)
Other information
Owner(s)	Jim Crane
General manager(s)	James Click
Manager(s)	Dusty Baker
Local television	AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum)
Local radio	KTRH 740 Weekday Night Games Sportstalk 790 Houston Astros Radio Network (Robert Ford, Steve Sparks, Geoff Blum) KLAT (Spanish) (Francisco Romero, Alex Treviño)
Stats	ESPN.com BB-reference
< Previous season

On March 12, 2020, MLB announced that because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season would be delayed by at least two weeks in addition to the remainder of spring training being cancelled.[1] Four days later, it was announced that the start of the season would be pushed back indefinitely due to the recommendation made by the CDC to restrict events of more than fifty people for eight weeks.[2] On June 23, commissioner Rob Manfred unilaterally implemented a 60-game season. Players reported to training camps on July 1 in order to resume spring training and prepare for a July 24 Opening Day.[3]

Roster moves

Coaching staff

• On December 7, 2019, first base coach Don Kelly departed for the position of bench coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates, joining the coaching staff of newly-hired manager Derek Shelton.[4] The first base coach position went to Omar Lopez, a long-time manager in the Astros' minor league system.[5]
• On January 13, Astros owner Jim Crane fired Jeff Luhnow and A. J. Hinch, after both were implicated in MLB's investigation into the Houston Astros' sign stealing scandal.[6][7] Crane temporarily assumed control of baseball operations while a search was ongoing for new personnel.[8]
• On January 29, the Astros hired Dusty Baker as the new manager for the 2020 season with an option for 2021.[9]

Releases and departures

• On December 18, 2019, the New York Yankees announced they had signed RHP Gerrit Cole to a 9-year contract, which was rumored to be worth $324 million, the fourth-richest contract in MLB history.[10][11][12] Cole had elected free agency at the conclusion of the 2019 season, and had rejected a $17.8 million qualifying offer from the Astros to return for 2020.[13]

Signings

• Astros signed C Dustin Garneau to a 1-year contract
• Astros re-signed RHP Joe Smith to a 2-year contract
• Astros re-signed C Martín Maldonado to a 2-year contract
• Astros signed RHP Jared Hughes to a minor league contract

Season standings

American League West

American League West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Oakland Athletics	15	6	0.714	—	9–3	6–3
Texas Rangers	10	9	0.526	4	7–4	3–5
Houston Astros	10	10	0.500	4½	7–4	3–6
Los Angeles Angels	7	14	0.333	8	4–7	3–7
Seattle Mariners	7	15	0.318	8½	3–7	4–8

American League Wild Card

Division Leaders	W	L	Pct.
Oakland Athletics	15	6	0.714
New York Yankees	14	6	0.700
Minnesota Twins	13	8	0.619

Division 2nd Place	W	L	Pct.
Baltimore Orioles	12	8	0.600
Cleveland Indians	12	9	0.571
Texas Rangers	10	9	0.526

Wild Card teams (Top two qualify for postseason)	W	L	Pct.	GB
Tampa Bay Rays	12	9	0.571	+1½
Detroit Tigers	9	9	0.500	—
Houston Astros	10	10	0.500	—
Chicago White Sox	10	11	0.476	½
Toronto Blue Jays	7	9	0.438	1
Kansas City Royals	9	12	0.429	1½
Los Angeles Angels	7	14	0.333	3½
Seattle Mariners	7	15	0.318	4
Boston Red Sox	6	15	0.286	4½

Record against opponents

2020 American League Records Source: AL Standings Head-to-head
Team	HOU	LAA	OAK	SEA	TEX	NL
Houston	—	2–1	0–3	5–1	0–0	3–5
Los Angeles	1–2	—	3–4	3–3	0–3	0–2
Oakland	3–0	4–3	—	3–1	3–0	2–2
Seattle	1–5	3–3	1–3	—	1–2	1–2
Texas	0–0	3–0	0–3	2–1	—	5–5

Updated with the results of all games through August 15, 2020.

Game Log

Regular Season

2020 Game Log: 10–10 (Home: 7–4; Away: 3–6)
July: 4–3 (Home: 3–3; Away: 1–0) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Record 1 July 24 Mariners 8–2 Justin Verlander (1–0) Marco Gonzales (0–1) — 1–0 2 July 25 Mariners 7–2 Lance McCullers Jr. (1–0) Taijuan Walker (0–1) — 2–0 3 July 26 Mariners 6–7 Dan Altavilla (1–0) Chris Devenski (0–1) Taylor Williams (1) 2–1 4 July 27 Mariners 8–5 Brandon Bielak (1–0) Kendall Graveman (0–1) Roberto Osuna (1) 3–1 5 July 28 Dodgers 2–5 Brusdar Graterol (1–1) Framber Valdez (0–1) Kenley Jansen (1) 3–2 6 July 29 Dodgers 2–4 (13) Dennis Santana (1–0) Cy Sneed (0–1) — 3–3 7 July 31 @ Angels 9–6 Brandon Bielak (2–0) Matt Andriese (0–1) Andre Scrubb (1) 4–3
August: 6–7 (Home: 4–1; Away: 2–6) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Record 8 August 1 @ Angels 4–5 (10) Ryan Buchter (2–0) Nivaldo Rodríguez (0–1) — 4–4 9 August 2 @ Angels 6–5 (11) Blake Taylor (1–0) Jacob Barnes (0–2) — 5–4 10 August 4 @ Diamondbacks 8–2 Cristian Javier (1–0) Madison Bumgarner (0–2) — 6–4 11 August 5 @ Diamondbacks 7–14 Robbie Ray (1–2) Lance McCullers Jr. (1–1) — 6–5 12 August 6 @ Diamondbacks 4–5 Junior Guerra (1–0) Ryan Pressly (0–1) — 6–6 13 August 7 @ Athletics 2–3 (13) J. B. Wendelken (1–0) Cy Sneed (0–2) — 6–7 14 August 8 @ Athletics 1–3 Frankie Montas (2–1) Framber Valdez (0–2) Liam Hendriks (5) 6–8 15 August 9 @ Athletics 2–7 Jesús Luzardo (1–0) Cristian Javier (1–1) Burch Smith (1) 6–9 16 August 10 Giants 6–4 Lance McCullers Jr. (2–1) Logan Webb (1–1) Ryan Pressly (1) 7–9 17 August 11 Giants 6–7 (10) Trevor Gott (1–0) Cy Sneed (0–3) Tyler Rogers (1) 7–10 18 August 12 Giants 5–1 Zack Greinke (1–0) Caleb Baragar (2–1) — 8–10 19 August 14 Mariners 11–1 Framber Valdez (1–2) Nestor Cortes Jr. (0–1) — 9–10 20 August 15 Mariners 2–1 Cristian Javier (2–1) Nick Margevicius (0–1) Ryan Pressly (2) 10–10 21 August 16 Mariners – — – 22 August 17 Rockies – — – 23 August 18 Rockies – — – 24 August 19 @ Rockies – — – 25 August 20 @ Rockies – — – 26 August 21 @ Padres – — – 27 August 22 @ Padres – — – 28 August 23 @ Padres – — – 29 August 24 Angels – — – 30 August 25 Angels – — – 31 August 26 Angels – — – 32 August 27 Angels – — – 33 August 28 Athletics – — – 34 August 29 Athletics – — – 35 August 30 Athletics – — –
September: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Away: 0–0) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Record 36 September 1 Rangers – — – 37 September 2 Rangers – — – 38 September 3 Rangers – — – 39 September 4 @ Angels – — – 40 September 5 @ Angels – — – 41 September 6 @ Angels – — – 42 September 7 @ Athletics – — – 43 September 8 @ Athletics – — – 44 September 9 @ Athletics – — – 45 September 10 @ Athletics – — – 46 September 12 @ Dodgers – — – 47 September 13 @ Dodgers – — – 48 September 15 Rangers – — – 49 September 16 Rangers – — – 50 September 17 Rangers – — – 51 September 18 Diamondbacks – — – 52 September 19 Diamondbacks – — – 53 September 20 Diamondbacks – — – 54 September 21 @ Mariners – — – 55 September 22 @ Mariners – — – 56 September 23 @ Mariners – — – 57 September 24 @ Rangers – — – 58 September 25 @ Rangers – — – 59 September 26 @ Rangers – — – 60 September 27 @ Rangers – — –
Legend:           = Win           = Loss           = Postponement Bold = Astros team member

Roster

Houston Astros roster
Active roster				Player pool		Coaches/Other
Pitchers Starting rotation 64 Brandon Bielak 21 Zack Greinke 53 Cristian Javier 43 Lance McCullers Jr. 59 Framber Valdez Bullpen 29 Joe Biagini 72 Humberto Castellanos 39 Josh James 60 Enoli Paredes 58 Brooks Raley 70 Andre Scrubb 67 Cy Sneed 62 Blake Taylor Closer 55 Ryan Pressly		Catchers 13 Dustin Garneau 15 Martín Maldonado 11 Garrett Stubbs Infielders 27 José Altuve  2 Alex Bregman  1 Carlos Correa 10 Yuli Gurriel 31 Abraham Toro Outfielders 22 Josh Reddick  4 George Springer  3 Myles Straw 30 Kyle Tucker Designated hitters 44 Yordan Álvarez		Pitchers 66 Bryan Abreu 61 Rogelio Armenteros 63 Brandon Bailey -- Ronel Blanco * 74 Brett Conine * -- Chase De Jong * 47 Chris Devenski 81 Shawn Dubin * 83 Luis Garcia * 72 Ralph Garza * 41 Brad Peacock 52 Cionel Pérez -- Fernando Rodney * 68 Nivaldo Rodríguez 71 Carlos Sanabria 88 Jojanse Torres * 65 José Urquidy -- Héctor Velázquez * 35 Justin Verlander 68 Forrest Whitley * Catchers 89 Michael Papierski * 82 Jamie Ritchie * 90 Colton Shaver * Infielders 16 Aledmys Díaz 86 Alex De Goti * 28 Taylor Jones  9 Jack Mayfield 87 Nick Tanielu * Outfielders 23 Michael Brantley 76 Ronnie Dawson * 77 Drew Ferguson * 80 Chas McCormick * 93 Jake Meyers * Designated hitters 44 Yordan Álvarez		Manager 12 Dusty Baker Coaches 85 Javier Bracamonte (bullpen catcher) 37 Alex Cintrón (hitting) 17 Michael Collins (catching) 19 Joe Espada (bench) 18 Omar Lopez (first base) 48 Josh Miller (bullpen)  8 Gary Pettis (third base) 46 Troy Snitker (hitting) 36 Chris Speier (quality control) 56 Brent Strom (pitching) 45-day injured list 54 Roberto Osuna 51 Austin Pruitt Restricted list 64 Kent Emanuel 58 Francis Martes 38 Joe Smith 27 active, 33 player pool 7- or 10-day injured list Suspended list ^# Personal leave * Not on 40-man roster Roster and coaches updated August 11, 2020 Transactions • Depth chart → All MLB rosters

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Round Rock Express	Pacific Coast League
AA	Corpus Christi Hooks	Texas League
A-Advanced	Fayetteville Woodpeckers	Carolina League
A	Quad Cities River Bandits	Midwest League
A-Short Season	Tri-City ValleyCats	New York–Penn League
Rookie	GCL Astros	Gulf Coast League
Rookie	DSL Astros	Dominican Summer League

Charitable efforts during Coronavirus pandemic

As of mid-April 2020, Astro teammates Carlos Correa and Martin Maldonado, along with fellow Major Leaguers such as Francisco Lindor and Eddie Rosario, as well as musical stars, have already shipped 26 pallets of medical supplies to the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. Astros owner Jim Crane has waived all shipping and logistic charges through his company Crane Worldwide Logistics.[14]

See also

• List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders

References

1. Mark Feinsand (March 12, 2020). "Opening Day delayed at least 2 weeks; Spring Training games cancelled". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
2. "Opening of regular season to be pushed back". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
3. Feinsand, Mark (June 24, 2020). "Play Ball: MLB announces 2020 regular season". MLB.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
4. https://www.mlb.com/pirates/press-release/press-release-don-kelly-named-pirates-bench-coach?t=pirates-press-releases
5. https://climbingtalshill.com/2019/12/24/astros-omar-lopez-promoted-first-base-coach/
6. https://www.mlb.com/news/astros-sign-stealing-penalty
7. https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/mlb/cglrhmlrwwbkacty27l7.pdf
8. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2871181-astros-fire-aj-hinch-jeff-luhnow-for-cheating-joe-espada-to-be-interim-manager
9. "Astros sign Baker, emphasize 'respect' factor". ESPN.com. January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
10. https://www.mlb.com/yankees/press-release/press-release-yankees-sign-gerrit-cole-to-nine-year-contract
11. https://www.mlb.com/news/gerrit-cole-yankees-deal
12. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/where-gerrit-coles-historic-324-million-deal-ranks-among-richest-contracts-in-mlb-history-for-a-pitcher/
13. https://www.mlb.com/news/gerrit-cole-rejects-astros-qualifying-offer
14. Carlos Correa, Martin Maldonado Helping Aid Puerto Rico, Real GM Wiretap, April 15, 2020.

External links

• Houston Astros season official site
• 2020 Houston Astros season at Baseball Reference