Predicting The Houston Astros' 2016 Record Going Into Spring Training

Last year, the Houston Astros posted their first winning record since 2008 and made the postseason for the first time since 2005. Going into 2016, the Astros should be in a great position to succeed once again.

The Astros’ lineup will look a lot like it did this past season. It will feature familiar names such as Colby Rasmus, Evan Gattis (though he reportedly may not be ready for opening day), George Springer, Carlos Gomez, Luis Valbuena, Jason Castro, Jose Altuve and 21-year-old superstar Carlos Correa.

Of course, Chris Carter was non-tendered over the offseason and is now with the Milwaukee Brewers, but the talented Jon Singleton will seemingly be given another chance to show what he can do with the first base job.

Houston’s rotation will once again be led by reigning AL Cy Young award winner Dallas Keuchel. The club also has Collin McHugh, youngster Lance McCullers and some combination of Mike Fiers, Doug Fister and Scott Feldman will likely round out the remainder of the rotation. The Astros did, however, lose free agent Scott Kazmir to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they should still have a rock-solid rotation.

The Astros’ bullpen also posted the fourth-best ERA in the American League last year with a mark of 3.27, and it looks like they will have tremendous relief pitching once again. They added an excellent young arm in Ken Giles, and Luke Gregerson, Pat Neshek, Tony Sipp, Will Harris and Josh Fields will each be returning.

The Astros may face some competition from the reigning AL West champion Texas Rangers, the Mike Trout-led Los Angeles Angels and a solid Seattle Mariners club, but they should do just fine this coming season. A 88-74 record should easily be within Houston’s grasp.