Since I haven’t written much about the Astros or Texans, I want to write an article discussing all three teams, much like I did in my other article two weeks ago. Based off the title, I will obviously be going over my favorite players to watch going into either next season or for the rest of the year for all three of the teams I cover. I think this will be a great time to look at these players because of action starting to spur in the NBA and NFL.

Honorable Mentions

To begin, I want to talk about a couple of honorable mentions across the three teams. From the Rockets, I would suggest looking out for a breakout season from second year guard Amen Thompson. If Thompson is able to get his three-point shot to a respectable percentage, we could see him vastly improve from last season. Looking at the Texans, I would suggest looking out for rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter. Although I have already talked about Lassiter in previous articles, I still think he can become the CB2 the Texans need to get into contention in the AFC. Lastly, for the Astros, look for outfielder Joey Loperfido, the Astros number 5 prospect. With his latest call-up to the Majors, it seems that Loperfido has a good chance to stay after the Astros cut Jose Abreu from their roster.

Houston Rockets: AJ Griffin

AJ Griffin, the former Atlanta Hawk, was just recently traded for the 44th overall pick in this year’s draft to the Houston Rockets. Griffin, only 20 years old, will be heading into his third season next year. The funny thing about the Rockets trading for Griffin is the fact that Griffin has long been rumored to come to Houston. In the 2022 NBA Draft, Griffin was one of the targets for Houston with the 17th overall pick, but he went 16th and the Rockets ended up taking Tari Eason, who has been a great addition for the Rockets. In addition, Griffin was rumored to get traded to Houston during the trade deadline last season, but he ultimately ended up staying in Atlanta.

In Griffin’s rookie campaign, he shot 39% from three-point range while posting a stat line of 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game. Last season, Griffin saw a giant reduction in playing time where he only got around 8 minutes per game. This led to his trade value being tanked, and Rafael Stone and Ime Udoka took advantage of that. I love this move for the Rockets because of the low risk high reward scenario with Griffin. I think he will be a sleeper role player for the Rockets that could develop into something more. With Griffin participating in the 2024 Summer League, we will be able to see how he plays along with Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore.

Houston Texans: Denico Autry

This decision was a hard one for me personally because I also love Azeez Al-Shaair and John Metchie III as sleeper players for the Texans, but I don’t think Denico Autry is getting enough recognition from the fanbase. Autry, the former Tennessee Titan, signed with the Texans in free agency after agreeing to a two-year, $21.5 million dollar deal, with around half fully guaranteed. Although his age may be a concern for some (will be 34 going into next season), the big man had 11.5 sack last season for the Titans and played in every game. Autry will provide the Texans with depth at the defensive end position, with Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter at the starting spots.

The Texans do have a 4-3 base defense, which consist of four linemen, two defensive tackles and two defensive ends, and three linebackers: a Mike (middle), Will (weak side AKA side without the tight end), and Sam (strong side, opposite of Will). I bring this up because the Titans also ran a 4-3 defense, which will allow Autry to fit into his role perfectly. With Jerry Hughes most likely retiring, Autry will take his spot and have a big role to fill in backing up Anderson and Hunter.

Houston Astros: Taylor Scott

Where do I start with Taylor Scott? Well, lets begin with the fact that the Astros were able to sign him to a league minimum of $750,000 for this season. After losing important arms in their bullpen such as Phil Maton and Hector Neris, Scott signed with the team in hopes of contributing towards winning another World Series. Scott has done that and more as he has posted a 1.56 ERA in his age 32 season. He has been one of the go-to arms for Espada out of the bullpen, and he has been implemented in higher leverage situations where he continues to succeed.

I gotta give it to the Astros’ pitching coaches, as they seem to always bring a random reliever in and save their career from retirement. Anyways, Scott should be an All-Star this year, as he has also posted a WHIP right around 1, which ranks him among the top relievers in the MLB. He also has had some appearances in which he has pitched for more than an inning, which has allowed to Astros to save some bullpen pieces for different games.