Richard Justice may have moved onto MLB.com, but he's still writing about the Astros more than any other team. In a recent column, he breaks down five things that would make Houston's 2012 season successful, despite win-loss record.
↵What are those reasons? Let's run through them quickly:
↵1) Young players like Jason Castro, George Springer, etc. improving.
↵2) Good seasons from Jordan Schafer and Jed Lowrie.
↵3) Trade Myers and Wandy for prospects.
↵4) One good sophomore season from Altuve, J.D. and Paredes.
↵5) CJ and Wallace getting back on track.
↵The funny thing is, if all these happen, Houston will not only have a successful season, but will probably lose a lot less games. They wouldn't lose 100 almost certainly and might not lose 90.
↵But, those are a lot of ifs. Realistically, only two or three of those things will happen. I can see Springer or DDJ exploding with a good season. I can see Lowrie holding down a starting spot with his bat. I can also see three and four happening, but not five. I'm just not sure either of those guys can be good big leaguers. But, I also think Houston will try its hardest to make that happen.
↵What Justice hits on here is spot on, though. Houston will need to measure success this season without looking at their record. That's what rebuilding teams do.
↵