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Houston Astros
By John Donovan, CNNSI.com Let's just skip ahead to the postseason, shall we? That's where the real questions await the Houston Astros. Outside of an abysmal 90-loss 2000 season, the regular season has been a relative cakewalk for the Astros. They won the National League Central title in 1997, '98 and '99, did the toes-up thing in '00, then rebounded last year with 93 wins and another pennant. They held off St. Louis on the strength of a young and studly rotation, one of the best closers in the game, a big-swinging offense (second in average, runs, hits, RBIs and on-base percentage) and a manager that could pull it all together. But everything fell apart again in the playoffs with a first-round wipeout at the hands of Atlanta -- the Astros never have won a postseason series -- which led to the firing of manager Larry Dierker. Jimy Williams, the ex-Boston skipper, takes over a club that still has its studliness intact, though it's looking a lot different. Gone, first of all, is right fielder Moises Alou, who signed with the Chicago Cubs. Alou, who hit .331 last season with 27 home runs and 108 RBIs, was deemed too expensive to keep after the Astros decided to pay closer Billy Wagner his due (three years, $27 million). The Astros, luckily for them, have young stud Daryle Ward around. Ward has been a slugger-in-waiting, a guy the Astros believe can hit 30-plus homers and drive in 100 runs. Now, he'll get that chance. He'll team with young Lance Berkman, one of the game's best batsmen (.331, 34 homers, 126 RBIs and a .620 slugging percentage) and, of course, Jeff Bagwell (.288, 39, 130) to keep the Astros offensively scary. Center fielder Richard Hidalgo also can hit. He drove in 80 runs last season and, in 2000, had 44 homers and 122 RBIs. All that would mean little without the pitching behind it, and with youngsters Roy Oswalt (14-3, 2.73 ERA), Wade Miller (16-8, 3.40), veteran Shane Reynolds (14-11, 4.34) and phenom Carlos Hernandez (a 1.02 ERA in 17 2/3 innings, though he's had shoulder problems), the Astros have all the makings of a 90-plus team win again. Setup man Octavio Dotel had a solid 2.66 ERA in 105 innings pitcher and Wagner (39 saves last year in 41 chances, a 2.73 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings) makes them all look that much better. The Astros have the making of another division winner, or at least a strong wild-card contender. The question is, what happens after that? Up for grabs: The left side of the Astros infield is a bit worrisome, with Morgan Ensberg and Chris Truby vying for the start at third while Julio Lugo will be pushed by young Adam Everett at short. Truby was a disappointment in limited time last season (.206 in 48 games), so Ensberg, who hit .310 and had 23 homers in 87 games at Class AAA last season, may get the nod. Lugo hit .263 but had problems in the field (22 errors). But Everett had 24 errors playing short in Class AAA. Spring chicken: The Astros have a lot of spring chickens. The guys to keep an eye on include Ensberg and Everett, but the real exciting youngster who will be trying to stick in the starting rotation is pitcher Hernandez. Before his call-up last season, he was 12-3 with a 3.69 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 139 innings in Class AA. The Astros love his stuff.
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