I'm sure the response will be how its good that the Rangers farm system is in shambles.... despite them not having to part with any of their young gems that just happen to be MLB ready.
My thoughts exactly. By some miracle that Keuchel comes close to the player he was in 2015, you still have 4 other unknowns on the staff.
Getting to 6 is a hell of a lot easier said than done. Obviously a huge X-Factor in all of this is the health of McCullers and Keuchel, as well as the continued development of Musgrove. But even last year, when the Astros scored 4+ runs in a game, their W-L record in those games was middle of the pack. I'm not saying the Astros won't be a good team.....I'm just saying that, as constructed, I don't see this team being able to contend for a pennant against the Indians or Red Sox just yet. Now if we make a deal for a TOR pitcher, that's a totally different story.
If we land Quintana or Archer and get any semblance of Keuchel and McCullers.. we are more than in that conversation. EDIT: just saw that you also put "yet" I retract my statement and agree with you. Although if K and MC show up then maybe we are...
Pennant? A TOR pitcher likely helps the Astros win two more games. Two games shouldn't matter much in regards for odds in contending for a pennant. If Astros get a TOR SP, it is to help improve World Series odds....not winning the pennant odds.
I still think there are too many factors to label one of the three teams the favorite. Injuries, deadline deals, players who catch fire (including SP's) all play a factor in deciding the pennant. I think we have a good shot with the roster we have and an even better one with a guy like Quintana. Luhnow will make it happen.
Looking it up it appears you are correct that the pennant winners are the Championship Series winners despite pennant race referring to the regular season.
I've always assumed that "Pennant Race" meant the race to win the AL/NL, but I'm probably wrong on that. Meh, I think we're all on the same page anyways.
Yep. I grew up around baseball (like you)...so when I think pennant I think league championship. I suppose it's all semantics at this point, though.
When the Angels won the pennant with the help of Christopher Lloyd it was just their division. I'm pretty sure pennant refers to all of the championships (thus the pennants displayed at baseball stadiums for division, league, & WS). Of course they also do that for Wild Card now.
Bud Selig told them it was ok, even though they lost the season series and were seeded as the Wild Card in the playoffs.
So, if the Astros had 2015 Keuchel last year, instead of the 2016 version, they only win 2 more games? Little more common sense... little less robotic analysis.
Back when there were only 2 divisions, it meant a helluva lot more. I have no problem with the Astros claiming a "pennant" for the 2004 NLCS birth.
When Astros had similar WAR production from rest of the team and 2015 Keuchel, they won two more games. Odd....
Not sure how similar 2016 was from the rest of the team: full year of springer, Correa, better altuve, good Bregman, better Gattis. But yes, you had worse McHugh, no Mccullers, worse fiers, worse Feldman. Unfortunately, the pitching remains the biggest question mark.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ghtengale/2017/02/02/astros-revival/97431050/ While Correa was sent to federal prison for 46 months, the Cardinals were forced to surrender their top two picks in the June draft to the Astros, along with $2 million. Suddenly, with a surplus of draft picks, the pain of giving up top prospects for Quintana or someone else could be eased. “We’re hoping that something will break,” Crane said. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that ... getting two picks from the Cardinals gives us more depth in the system. We’re still looking into it. “The thing about pitching is that it keeps games under control. And you got to have someone who can slam that door.”
