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The Astros are going to the World Series. Here are 10 reasons why
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OK, no more negatives. No more whining about how the Astros have taken a step back in the off-season.
I'm sold.
I am officially convinced your 2009 Houston Astros will be unstoppable on their way to the World Series. They are the best team in the Central Division. Once they get in the playoffs, we all know anything can happen. This will be their year.
Of course, they will lose in the World Series, but just getting there will be huge. After all, they've been there once before.
Reserve your hotel rooms in New York, Boston or Anaheim now. The Astros are coming for the World Series.
(No, not you Tampa. You will always be the Devil Rays, no matter how much you pretend to be the Rays. One year wonders. Yankees, Red Sox or Angels. There is your other prediction).
Enough of that. Back to the Astros.
After the latest round of propaganda in the local media, I have become convinced. No more doubting. No more questioning. I accept what Drayton McLane and Ed Wade are selling me.
Of course some other scenarios have to play out:
-- The Cubs have to be the Cubs and fall back to the pack. And why not? They now have over 100 years of history. A regular season collapse would be a nice complement to last year's postseason collapse.
-- The Brewers stumble. This is perfectly legitimate, considering they no longer have C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets in the rotation. They will still be good, but not that good.
-- The Cardinals don't run away and hide. Like the Astros, the Cardinals are perennial lurkers, so they should be in the mix. They need to stay close to the Astros.
OK, so all of those things happen. Now what?
This is all completely realistic. Here are the 10 reasons the Astros will win the NL Central and go to the World Series.
1. Michael Bourn will become the premier leadoff hitter in baseball. His offseason work pays off, and he hits over .290 and steals 80 bases, providing speed a run production at the top of the order.
2. Hunter Pence becomes more player than promise and drives in 100 runs.
3. Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee do what they do and stay healthy all year. If that happens, along with 1 and 2, the run production will be enough to play with any team in the league.
4. Roy Oswalt stays healthy at the top of the rotation and wins 20 games and the Cy Young Award.
5. Mike Hampton stays healthy for the first time since Clinton was in the White House, pitches effectively and wins 17 games as the No. 2 starter.
6. Of the 3-4-5 starters in the rotation (as of now), two have career years. Out of the trio of Wandy Rodriguez, Brian Moehler and Brandon Backe, two have to reach heights they've never seen before. The third just needs to be functional.
7. The bullpen pitches as well as it did in the second half of the season last year. With LaTroy Hawkins and Doug Brocail setting up Jose Valverde, the potential is there for the group to be well above average.
8. Miguel Tejada has an Oakland flashback and starts hitting again.
9. The Aaron Boone /Geoff Blum platoon provides as much offense as the departed Ty Wigginton. Why not? Wigginton's numbers were not all that -- .285, 23 homers and 58 RBIS. There is no reason Boone and Blum can't beat that, and the defense will not suffer.
10. SOMEONE steps up at catcher. Let's face it, a dead body could provide as much as the colossally overrated Brad Ausmus provided the last few years. (Don't give us the, "he handled pitchers well" line or "he played good defense." That's what you say when a guy can't hit). Jason Castro is allegedly still a year away, and longterm service time concerns will likely keep him in the minors for at least the start of the season, but at some point this year, he might actually come up and be the man. If not? It's Lou Palmisano. So what if his name sounds like a bad character in a Godfather movie? He has a soft act to follow. And could he be worse than J.R. Towles?
That's it. Are those reasons really that far-fetched? Come on, jump on the bandwagon with us. We believe in the Astros. They are going to the World Series.
Buy your tickets now.
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