MLB Season Preview: Houston Astros

Last and perhaps least, the Houston Astros: now under new management.

The Astros have hit rock-bottom partly because
of unwise contracts, like the one given to Carlos Lee.

Offense: Gone are Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, and Lance Berkman, leaving the Astros' lineup completely unrecognizable. The only familiar name is once-good, now-not-so-much slugger Carlos Lee, mercifully in the final year of his bloated contract and a perpetual trade candidate. The rest of the roster is Triple-A fodder, from former top prospects fallen out of favor (Jed Lowrie, Jordan Schafer, and Jason Castro) to nameless faces like Chris Snyder, Brian Bogusevic, and Marwin Gonzalez. The only players that have a slight chance of being on the next winning Astros team are promising left fielder J.D. Martinez and diminutive second baseman Jose Altuve. The two will be hotly competing against each other to be the Astros' token All-Star Game representative.

Wandy Rodriguez is the epitome
of the unheralded starting pitcher.

Pitching: The Carlos Lee of the pitching staff (as in, the only recognizable name) is Wandy Rodriguez, who, like Lee, is making big money and could get traded this summer. If that happens, the rotation's lone mainstay would be Bud Norris and his potentially-good strikeout numbers. The rest of the staff is just a collection of warm bodies: Kyle Wieland, J.A. Happ, and Lucas Harrell are barely worthy of being in the majors. Triple-A arm Jordan Lyles, one of the few recent success stories for Houston's farm system, could likely outpitch all three of them. For whatever reason, the Astros decided to convert Brett Myers back into a closer, so at least there's that to look forward to.

Jose Altuve: considerably shorter than his teammates.

Breakout Candidates: It looks like the big bright spot for the 2012 Astros will be Jose Altuve. Listed as 5 feet, 5 inches, the second baseman has shown impressive contact skills and is hitting .378 with 10 extra-base hits and four steals in April.

3 Key Questions: Will the Astros unload Carlos Lee and Wandy Rodriguez for something of value? Do former prospects like Lowrie and Schafer have anything to offer? And who will the new Astros front office select with the first overall pick in June's MLB Draft?

Best Case Scenario: Altuve and Martinez enjoy breakout seasons, the contracts of Lee and Rodriguez are sent packing, the pitching is merely dreadful rather than pathetic, and the Cubs are so terrible that the Astros don't finish last in the NL Central.

Worst Case Scenario: The Astros are just as bad as we think they are, finishing in dead last and getting the #1 overall pick in the draft for the second consecutive year.

Predicted Finish: Thanks to the Cubs and Padres, the Astros might not actually end up with the worst record in baseball. But with little major league talent, a shattered farm system, and the impending move to the AL West, their rebuilding effort will be a formidable uphill climb.