Right now I would rank Houston somewhere between 8th and 11th in the league. I think the Yankees, Dodgers, Twins, Jays, Padres, and Braves clearly have better rosters than the Astros, and the Astros are in the 2nd tier with the White Sox, Rays, and Mets. Houston’s lineup has 2 weak hitters (Maldonado and Straw) but is overall as talented as any in the league. But for now Houston has serious question marks in their pitching staff. Until we start seeing some of their non-Greinke starters go 5-6 innings consistently it’s hard to say their rotation is on par with the top teams in the league. But the upside is there. Valdez and Odorizzi could come back and raise their profile very quickly. Same for when Baez gets added to the bullpen.
Why do people care about sports at all? Why do we talk about it on message boards? NONE of this **** means anything. We do it for entertainment.
The Astros were 4th in starter innings last year as only 8 teams averaged over 5 innings a start. Once Astros get Odorizzi and Valdez in rotation, starter innings shouldn't be a problem relative to the rest of the league. I expect Astros, health willing, to be an above average starting rotation, but without that top end talent to make them elite on a per inning basis. Though, my concern is how the pen is used. The Astros pen needs an extra long guy. Not sure when Pruitt will be available or if Astros will try to stretch out Abreu while relieving.
3. Houston Astros (4-1) Previous Rank: 13 (+10 spots) This was as high as the Astros could climb under the 10-spot rule, but they were as impressive as any team in baseball during the opening weekend with a dominant four-game sweep of the Athletics. Zack Greinke tossed six scoreless innings on Opening Day, and the rest of the staff did more than enough in support of an offense that piled up 35 runs. https://bleacherreport.com/articles...here-all-30-teams-stand-after-opening-weekend
Astros #2 The Astros swept the reigning AL West champs in a four-game series to open the season. Over 10 games in 2020, the Astros scored just 25 runs against Oakland. In 2021, Houston scored 35 runs against Oakland in just four games. https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/mlb-power-rankings-2021-standings-american-national-league
