Can the Astros Win the NL Central? Houston Astros 2007 Season Preview...

The Houston Astros got off to yet another slow start in 2006; however, they had a hot September in which they made up a deficit of more than 8 games in the standings during the last weeks of the season. In the end, they ran out of time to possibly overtake the slumping Cardinals in the NL Central.

The amazing run for the Astros at the end of the season pushed their record to 82-80, one game behind the eventual World Champions, St. Louis Cardinals.

In the NL Central, which many experts have considered to be weak, the Astros may be contenders to win the division this upcoming season. Under the watchful eye of skipper Phil Garner, the Astros are retooled with an upgraded offense with new addition Carlos Lee, and two new veteran pitchers. However, questions still remain about the starting pitching and if key members of the offense, especially Morgan Ensburg can bounce back from a dismal 2006.

The other huge question for the team in 2007 is whether Roger Clemens will come back to Houston, or if he’ll go to the American League and possibly help out the Yankees or Red Sox.

Houston added the aforementioned Carlos Lee, infielder Mark Loretta and pitcher Woody Williams via free agency, while gaining Jason Jennings and Miguel Asencio via trade duting the winter; however, they lost Aubrey Huff, Andy Pettitte & Russ Springer to free agency, and Taylor Buchholz, Jason Hirsh and Willy Taveras via trade.

The Houston Astros have had some turnover in the pitching staff, as Andy Pettitte returned to New York City, and Roger Clemens has not made up his mind whether or not he will return to the team or not this upcoming season. As well, Brandon Backe is out maybe until the All-Star break, if not longer, so the team right now is in flux in terms of the pitching staff for 2007.

At the top of the rotation will be Roy Oswalt, a perennial Cy Young candidate who was 15-8 and with an ERA under 3 last year. Recently signed to a long term contract, he’s been the ace and steady hand of the pitching rotation. So far, Oswalt has never had a bad year, and there’s no reason to believe that he won’t be anything but solid for the Astros.

The second starter will be Jason Jennings, who was acquired in a trade with Colorado. Although he lost 13 games, while only winning 9, he had a 3.78 ERA last year and pitched 212 innings. How handles the move from Colorado to Houston remains to be seen, but he is a candidate to finally have a breakout year. Woody Williams will anchor the middle of the rotation and a good year with the Padres, going 12-5 and with an ERA of 3.65 in 2006. Although he’s 40, he should still be a fairly productive pitcher at this point in his career.

Slotted to be the 4th and 5th starting pitchers in the rotation are Wandy Rodriguez, who was 9-10 with a 5.64 ERA last season and Matt Albers, who had an ERA of 6.00 while seeing action in 4 games. Another contender who might secure a pitching spot is Chris Sampson who was 2-1 with a 2.12 in 2006.

The bottom of the rotation will need to step up if Houston has any hope of contending.

The bullpen for the Astros had some ups and downs in 2006, and the organization hopes 2007 will show a lot of improvement. The closer for now will be Brad Lidge, but his struggles in 2006 were cause for concern as he finished with an ERA of 5.28, almost more than 3 runs higher than what he recorded 2005. Lidge was not effective at times, and it forced the team to use Dan Wheeler as a closer during a few stretches in 2006. For now, Lidge will close out games; however, but expect to see Wheeler closing out games if Lidge falters.

Lidge is the wild card for the bullpen this year, while Wheeler was solid last year for the Astros saving 9 games while recording a 2.52 ERA. Joining Brad Lidge and Dan Wheeler in the bullpen are Trever Miller, Chad Qualls, Dave Borkowski, along with Fernando Nieve and the aforementioned Chris Sampson in long relief.

Let’s move onto the everyday lineup. RBI

The offense for the Astros served as an Achilles’ heel during the most of the season, and in turn very much hampered the team. Changes had to be made, & the checkbook was opened up for Carlos Lee, but for the most part the offense remains the same from last year.

The infield will be manned by Lance Berkman at first base, Craig Biggio at second, Adam Everett at shortstop and Morgan Ensburg at third.

Lance Berkman is the big bat in the lineup, and he’s one of the dangerous hitters in the game as he batted .315 and hit 45 homers with 136. In addition to be being one of the best hitters in baseball, he’s a slick first baseman as he took over for Jeff Bagwell, who sat 2006 and then retired. He’s the major cog in the lineup and he should be nothing less than productive for the Astros in 2007.

At second base will be Craig Biggio, who is at the tail end of a long and productive career. He’ll be the everyday second baseman, and should remain solid in 2007, although he’ll be 41. This may be his last season as he is only 70 hits away from 3,000 and could be the benchmark to get him into the Hall of Fame. At shortstop will be slick fielding Adam Everett, and although he may not provide much power or hit for average, he’s great up the middle and is a defensive-whiz.

The wild card in the infield will be Morgan Ensburg. He struggled in 2006, as he only batted .235, more than 40 points below what he batted in 2005, and his numbers were down all across the board. The Astros will need Ensburg to bounce back from his sub-par 2006 if the Astros are going to make an impact offensively.

The backup infielders will be super utility man, Mark Loretta who batted .285 for the Red Sox last year, and has always been a solid player. Joining Loretta as part of backup corps for the infield will be Eric Bruntlett along with Mike Lamb, who batted .307 last year.

In the outfield on an everyday basis will be Carlos Lee in left field, Chris Burke in center field, and Luke Scott in right field.

The everyday left fielder will be Carlos Lee, the recipient of a huge contract in the winter. He was acquired for his bat, and the team will need him to produce. Last season, he hit 37 homers with 116 RBI to go with a .300 average. Although his bat is impressive, there are concerns about his conditioning and size; therefore, it could hamper him down the road. His track record shows he should be good for at least 30 homers, 100 RBI and should hit for average, but hopefully he will not regress towards the end of the contract.

In center field will be Chris Burke who had solid year with a .276 batting average in 2006. He replaces speedy Willy Tavares who was traded to the Astros. He should do well in the outfield, as he’s athletic and play fairly good defense. Luke Scott, who will be the everyday right fielder, hit an impressive .336 in 214 at bats last season, though he does strikeout a bit. In addition, he showed some power slamming 10 homers with a .426 on base percentage. Although he may not keep up his 2006 numbers into a long season, he should have a solid bat and provide well needed offense for the Astros.

The backup outfielders will be Jason Lane, who saw quite a bit of playing time in 2006, although he only mustered a .201 batting average. He’s been a solid player for the past few seasons, and has always hit for average with some power. Lane should be a candidate to bounce back.

The everyday catcher will be longtime veteran Brad Ausumus. Never known for his bat, he calls a good game, provides great defense and provides a steady veteran presence on the team. He’ll be 38 this upcoming season, but still should remain a productive catcher and a leader on the team. His backup will be Humberto Quintero.

In the end, the NL Central is still fairly weak; however, everyone in the division with exception of the Pittsburgh Pirates has a chance to contend for a division title. The Astros right now have a good chance to win the division, but a lot has to right, including offense and pitching performing to their potential and a key piece retuning - Roger Clemens.