The Houston Astros

The Astros are looking to finish last in their division for yet another year. The fans in Houston are almost accustomed to losing, but this season may not be as bad. Some big improvements were made to the Astros for the 2014 season and the effects will be seen.

The Astros' 2013 season summed up in one picture 

The lineup for the Astros is incredibly young, but their off season veteran acquisition was Dexter Fowler, who I would bat third for some effect of depth. I predict that rookie George Springer will come up this season and make a residual impact. In 135 minor league games, split between AA and AAA the right handed hitting outfielder hit .303 with a .411 on base percentage, 37 home runs, and 45 stolen bases. The following is how I would make the Astros lineup for the 2014 season. Following each player is their OPS+ for 2013.

1. R. Jose Altuve               2B  89 OPS+
2. R. Jesus Guzman           SS 94 OPS+
3. S. Dexter Fowler          CF 102 OPS+
4. R. Chris Carter             1B  112 OPS+
5. L. Jason Castro              C 130 OPS+
6. R. Matt Dominguez        3B 89 OPS+
7. R. George Srpinger        RF No data available
8. S. Robbie Grossman       LF 95 OPS+
9. _________________     DH

The pitching rotation for the Astros is even more up in the air than the lineup. They do have some recognizable names like Scott Feldman and Lucas Harrell but the other pitchers are flying under the radar. Here is the Astros pitching rotation for the 2014 season, or something close to it.

1. L. Scott Feldman        105 ERA+
2. R. Lucas Harrel          69 ERA+
3. R. Paul Clemens         75 ERA+
4. L. Brett Oberholtzer   147 ERA+
5. R. Alex White            84 ERA+

There are only a few notable names in the bullpen for the Astros. The biggest of those names is veteran Jessie Crain. Other recognizable names in the bullpen for the Astros include Matt Albers, Chad Qualls, and Raul Valdez.

It seems like the Astros are just going to play their hearts out in hope for a spark of success in 2014.

The Houston Astros

The Houston Astros had the worst record in 2011, only winning 56 games. The Astros are in a rebuilding phase, because they have traded away their big stars. In the past few seasons the Astros had traded Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence, and assorted other players.

Although The Astros seem to be the local market for the other 29 teams, they have kept a few key players. The Astros still have Carlos Lee and Wandy Rodriguez. It does seem very likely for these two players to be traded in the 2012 season. Carlos Lee is 35 and can play first base and the outfield. He carries an average OPS+ of 109 over the past 3 seasons. He has played over 155 games the past three seasons. Perhaps he can be a valuable player to another team in the National League, because there is a deficiency of first basemen in the NL. As for Wandy Rodriguez he is a left handed starter who can pitch close to 200 innings and can keep his ERA below 4. In 2011 his ERA was 3.49 and he pitched 191 innings. Wandy is 33 years old.

Believe it or not the above is all that The Astros have to look forward too. They have a surplus of prospects, but they wont help them in the 2012 season.