Houston Astros: Predicting the Astros' Opening Day Lineup

The Houston Astros will soon convene in Florida in preparation for the 2012 MLB season.

Grapefruit League performance in March will determine who cracks the Opening Day lineup, but it's time to speculate as to how key position battles will shake out.

"Almost every starting position job will be up for grabs," writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, and third-year manager Brad Mills is excited about that.

He believes that "any time you have competition for jobs, you're going to get the best out of guys."

Hopefully he's right. Houston's odds of a 2012 playoff appearance are slim to none if their young players continue to underachieve.

C Jason Castro

I don't hesitate to pencil in 24-year-old Jason Castro—a player coming off December foot surgery—because of reports that he is recovering ahead of schedule. He needed to have his sesamoid bone removed after injuring it in the Arizona Fall League.

It has been a rough 12 months for Castro. He didn't get any MLB plate appearances in 2011 after he underwent operations on his meniscus and ACL in early March.

However, he has excelled throughout his minor league career defensively and at the plate. Everybody in the organization is rooting for him.

In addition, he isn't facing much competition. A healthy Castro will start ahead of veterans Humberto Quintero and Chris Snyder.

1B Carlos Lee

The Houston Astros are interested in trading $100-million man Carlos Lee, but don't expect them to get a deal done before the season.

He is essentially a designated hitter and unfortunately most free-spending American League teams who would consider taking on a chunk of Lee's 2012 salary are set at the position.

In the meantime, the Astros must start him somewhere because few other players on their roster have legitimate extra-base hit power. First base is the only option for Lee, who no longer has the defensive range to play left field.

By midsummer, an AL trade partner eager to replace an injured slugger should emerge. Lee will depart and left-handed Brett Wallace will replace him immediately.

2B Jose Altuve

Miguel Tejada in 2009: .313 batting average, 14 home runs, 86 RBI.  

He was the last Houston Astros middle infielder to make an offensive impact. Jose Altuve has the potential to be equally effective.

The 21-year-old has been an extraordinary hitter at every stop of his professional baseball career. He is also an aggressive base stealer and respectable second baseman.

Altuve made his major league debut in 2011 and played 57 games.

SS Jed Lowrie

The Houston Astros would not have traded affordable closer Mark Melancon in December had they not received MLB-ready players in return. This condition was satisfied when they were given infielder Jed Lowrie.

He has been positioned primarily on the left side of the diamond with most of his experience coming at shortstop.

As a switch hitter, he is a valuable addition to this righty-laden lineup.

3B Chris Johnson

Everybody in the Houston Astros organization will be keeping a close eye on Chris Johnson in 2012. This is somewhat of a make-or-break year for him as he regressed in 2011 after an encouraging 2010 campaign.

Johnson will need to compete this spring for the starting job, but last month he declared himself "ready to break out" after clearing his mind and upping his workload.

He has confidence, I'll give him that.

LF J.D. Martinez

J.D. Martinez has perhaps the most job security of all Houston Astros outfielders.

His bat definitely made the trip from Double-A Corpus Christie when he was called up on July 30. He will be capable of Hunter Pence-like production if given enough plate appearances!

He doesn't have prototypical center fielder speed, so expect him to occupy a corner outfield position.

Left field makes sense. He started 51 games there in 2011 and committed only one error.

CF Jason Bourgeois

In 2011, Jason Bourgeois spent significant innings in left, center and right, so we know he's versatile. One way or the other, the Houston Astros will having him in the lineup every day.

Bourgeios can be the prolific base-stealing, top-of-the-order igniter that Michael Bourn used to be.

Expectations were high for Jordan Schafer, but management won't simply overlook his felony possession of marijuana in October. He was struggling to perform on the field before the arrest, anyway.

This Astros offense will have a much easier time producing runs if Bourgeois can swipe 50.

RF Jack Cust

Amid their rebuilding process, the Houston Astros are not going out of their way to woo expensive veterans.

However, outfielder Jack Cust was available at the right price coming off a disappointing year with the Seattle Mariners. He agreed to a one-year, $600,000 deal in January.

In any environment, he is assured to accumulate high totals of walks and strikeouts.

Although he didn't generate much power in 2011, his tenure with the Oakland Athletics (2007-'10) suggested he could hold his own in the heart of a batting order.

The Astros need a patient, left-handed presence like Cust to compliment their lightweights.

SP Wandy Rodriguez

Wandy Rodriguez is the priciest pitcher on the Houston Astros, so he—like Carlos Lee—is on the trading block.

Assuming he isn't moved in the next few weeks, Rodriguez is the obvious ace of the rotation.

He has strung together several consecutive seasons of great control, durability and overall effective performance. He somehow managed an 11-11 record on the 2011 Astros who lost 106 games.

After him, Brad Mills can turn to Bud Norris, Brett Myers, J.A. Happ, Kyle Weiland and the ageless Livan Hernandez who settled for a minor league deal.

Opening Day Lineup

Countless factors could affect these Houston Astros predictions and cause me to look foolish.

Exhibition games and team practices will be considered when it's time for roster moves. Injuries make things even messier.

This is how the aforementioned players might be configured on April 6, 2012 when Houston hosts the Colorado Rockies:

Opening Day Lineup

1	Jason Bourgeois	CF
2	Jed Lowrie	SS
3	J.D. Martinez	LF
4	Carlos Lee	1B
5	Jack Cust	RF
6	Chris Johnson	3B
7	Jason Castro	C
8	Jose Altuve	2B
9	Wandy Rodriguez	SP