HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 18: Joshua Miller #36 of the Houston Astros looks on prior to the game against the Chicago White Sox at Minute Maid Park on August 18, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Maria Lysaker/Getty Images)
J.P. France, the 32nd-most positively impactful Astro of 2024
You may not remember it, but J.P. France started the 2024 season as a member of Houston’s rotation
This offseason, we’re looking into each player to appear with the Houston Astros in 2024.
There were 55 players that appeared in at least one regular season game for the Astros, and we’re using metrics to rank the top 40. What’s come before:
55. Grae Kessinger
54. Cooper Hummel
53. Pedro Leon
52. Aledmys Diaz
51. Jacob Ayama
50. Wander Suero
49. Miguel Diaz
48. Dylan Coleman
47. Forrest Whitley
46. Blair Henley
45. Joel Kuhnel
44. Jose Abréu
43. Alex Speas
42. Luis Contreras
41. Nick Hernandez
40. Parker Mushinski
39. Jake Bloss
38. Shay Whitcomb
37. Cesar Salazar
36. Zach Dezenzo
35. Héctor Neris
34. Brandon Bielak
33. Trey Cabbage
FYI, I used batters faced and ERA+ to rank the pitchers, along with plate appearances and OPS+ for hitters.
J.P. France is a six-foot, 198 lb. right-handed pitcher from New Orleans, LA. Born on April 4, 1995, he was Houston’s 14th-round selection in 2019 out of Mississippi State University. He worked his way up through Houston’s system over the next few years, ranking fourth in the Carolina League in 2019 with 8.97 K/9 with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. He led the PCL in 2021 with 11.99 K/9 and with 7.51 H/9, then ranked second in the circuit in 2022 with 135 strikeouts.
After opening the 2023 season as Houston’s number 21 prospect, he was unexpectedly and suddenly pressed into the major league rotation after several injuries necessitated an early promotion. He performed better than we had any right to expect, putting together an 11-6 record over 23 starts (and one relief appearance). He had a 3.83 ERA, a 4.66 FIP, a 1.357 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 111, with 47 walks and 101 strikeouts in 136 1⁄3 innings.
