Boom or Bust? Day 3: Houston Astros

The 2012 Astros were the Major's worst, and even with major logo changes and even a move to the AL West, they don't look any better this year. They have a very long time before contending again in any postseason race. 

Offense:

Offensively, the Astros are lacking seasoned veterans to help their rookies. With the release of Rick Ankiel, the 'Stros only have 1 of their 9 starters over the age of 30 (Carlos Pena). The Astros have a overall team age average of 26.7, therefore proving the information that they don't have the leadership to have them go far. As a team, the 'Stros only hit .249 (10th in AL) and have a OBP of .307 (12th in AL). Their SLG is .396 (10th in AL). In 36 games, the Astros only have 140 runs (11th in AL) (3.8 Runs Per Game). And, only Jose Altuve has an average of above .300 (.342). The Astros even LEAD the league in STRIKEOUTS (360 SOs in 36 games; 10 SOs per game)! Their offense is bad, and nobody has to break it down to see that. 

Grade: D

Pitching:

Only Bud Norris has a winning record (4-3), leading a staff that has only a 27.8 age average. The Astros ERA is the worst in the AL with a 5.55. Besides Norris (3.40 ERA), the Astro rotation has ERAs of 4.67, 8.49, 9.41, and 7.36. And, their bullpen? It's better than the rotation, but not by much. Jose Veras is the closer with 4 saves thus far. His ERA is 4.50. Only 1 reliever has an ERA below 4 (Wesley Wright, 2.80). Besides Wright, anyone who has appeared in 10+ games has an ERA of 4.00 or higher. The Astros rank last in 6 pitching categories in the American League. Among them are Hits, Home runs, Runs, Earned Runs, Wins, and ERA.

Grade: F

Prediction: Bust (55-107, 5th AL West)

The Astros have a lot to overcome before we can start calling them a "boom".