After a mediocre start to their season, the Astros traded aggressively at the deadline, adding Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins which was apparently enough to boost them into contention. Unfortunately, the late-season push was not enough as they finished just 3.5 games out of the wild card spot with a record of 86-75.
Projected Lineup:
C - J.R. Towles
1B - Lance Berkman
2B - Kaz Matsui
SS - Miguel Tejeda
3B - Geoff Blum
LF - Carlos Lee
CF - Michael Bourn
RF - Hunter Pence
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Roy Oswalt
#2 - Wandy Rodriguez
#3 - Brandon Backe
#4 - Mike Hampton
#5 - Brian Moehler
Closer - Jose Valverde
Position Battles:
#5 Starter - Moehler and Russ Ortiz will fight for a rotation spot in spring training; the best of the two will get the first crack at the #5 job, but it's likely that both will get a fair amount of starts.
2009 Outlook: Owner Drayton McClane's "win now" mentality has completely drained Houston's farm system, and it looks like that will finally catch up with them as their #3-5 pitchers are either injury prone or AAA material. Roy Oswalt successfully reinvented himself last year, transitioning from a strikeout pitcher to a groundball pitcher as he can no longer blow fastballs by hitters the way he did 5 years ago. Wandy Rodriguez improved dramatically, but sat out the first half of 2008 with a groin injury, he and Oswalt should prove to be an effective 1-2 combo.
Carlos Lee was on pace for career numbers before injuries got the best of him; he, Lance Berkman, and Hunter Pence will give the Astros a strong heart of the lineup. If Michael Bourn can improve from his abysmal 2008, and J.R. Towles can handle the load at catcher, Houston will have one of the more potent lineups in the National League--too bad their pitching will struggle to keep them in games.
Projected Finish: 5th Place, NL Central
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