Houston Astros' Spring Training Insight

The Houston Astros' pitchers and catchers officially reported to Kissimmee, FL today to begin Spring Training. Despite all the negative publicity this past weekly regarding steroids in baseball, the 2009 season is a fresh beginning for all teams and fans.

What can you expect from the 2009 Astros' squad?

The Astros have endured only two losing seasons since 1991, but it's fair to say the organization will use this season to rebuild.

Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, Roy Oswalt and Miguel Tejada make a substantial amount of money, but the team lacks depth past the superstars, especially in the starting pitching rotation.

The bullpen faired slightly better last season, leading the NL in saves with 48. However, the relievers gave up a league-leading 70 home runs.

Offensively, Houston ranked 17th in batting, 20th in total bases, 17th in slugging, 22nd in on-base percentage, 22nd in runs, 16th in home runs, 20th in RBIs, ninth in stolen bases and tied for second in leaving runners on base.

It's hard to believe that the Astros could rank so low when they have Berkman, Lee, Tejada and Hunter Pence on the roster. Indeed, Lee did have season-ending surgery in August, which played a role in the overall rankings.

Entering the 2009 preseason rankings, Sporting News has picked the Astros to finish 5th in the NL Central.

The Astros are building toward 2011 and will use the next two seasons to continue developing and bringing up their top-notch prospects.  

From now and throughout Spring Training and the regular season, feel free to check out my current articles regarding the Astros at www.examiner.com/x-2910-Houston-Astros-Examiner.