Houston Astros to the AL West: 5 Reasons the AL West Just Got Worse

According to the new Major League Baseball collective bargaining agreement, the Houston Astros will move to the American League West in 2013.  

The Astros were an MLB worst 56-106 last season and traded away two of their best players towards the end of last season.

The American League West is certainly no AL East with teams like Oakland and Seattle hanging out in the basement, but the division just got notably worse.

The Astros' presence will make the AL West one of the least potent divisions in baseball. Immediately.

How Divisions Should Be Judged

Though it would be difficult to find a fully objective method of really deciding the best divisions, 
divisions in baseball should be judged on a couple of things.

First of all, their winning percentage outside of the division.

Secondly, how the teams look from top to bottom. For example, the AL East has four teams at .500 or better.

Also the players within the division should be taken into account.  

Offense

The Astros offense is terrible—they scored a pathetic 615 runs in 2011.

Michael Bourn and Hunter Pence are the only two players who batted .300 and they're both on different teams now.

They don't have a single player who hit over 20 home runs; only Carlos Lee had over 50 RBI. Houston also had just one player had more than 10 stolen bases.  

And they can't score runs. In a division with some of the best pitching in the league, you have to have an offense that is effective.  

Pitching

Houston didn't have a starter with a winning percentage above .500 last year and didn't produce a single shutout. Those stats also came from a team that was in the National League last year.  

It's hard to win games when you rarely score, but coupled with a lack of pitching, you're the worst team in the league.  

Wandy Rodriguez is far and away their best pitcher, but he's the center of many trade rumors. Activity on the Rodriguez trade front has slowed significantly, but Houston doesn't want to keep him due to his inflated salary. 

Fanbase

It's tough to watch a bad team—it's hard to get fired up about 106 losses.

The Astros' attendance was 13th out of 16 NL teams, but they'll lose even more interest with the AL West move, as most divisional games on the West coast don't start until 9 pm CST.  

Switch from NL to AL Ball

The National League doesn't do particularly well with American League rules.

With the double-switch taken away and the designated hitter installed, this team will suffer. They'll have to change the entire culture of the team, as offense becomes significantly more important.  

AL teams will tee off on the 'Stros.

Players

It'd be tough to find anyone outside of the Houston area who could name five players on the current Astros roster.

Their most popular players are Wandy Rodriguez and Carlos Lee; opposing fans won't bat an eye at the Houston Astros.  

Beyond 2013

The AL West wasn't the best division in baseball in 2011, and probably won't be the best in 2012, though the Pujols trade will allow the Angels to challenge the Rangers for division supremacy.  

Oakland and Seattle will still be anemic, and the Astros coming to the AL West will make it immediately worse. They're the worst team in baseball.  

However, they have a new owner and can start making moves that better the franchise and adjust to the American League.

The move is solid for baseball. The Astros would have been bad in the NL Central, just as they'll be bad in the AL West.

If the new ownership group exercises patience, however, they'll be in the thick of things like they were in the early 2000s.