2014 could be most frustrating season yet for Astros fans

Are you frustrated yet? I know some people are. One of those people is Jim Crane. Not so long ago, the Astros owner was convinced his club could be the league’s most improved team in 2014.

"I think we can accomplish that. (most improved) We’ve added a bunch of players in the offseason, and we’re looking forward to the season. We have more depth with the bats, and they’ve brought in a lot of pitching to the bullpen. We’ll have some competition for a few spots. We’ll definitely be improved. We hope we can get it up above .500 this year. (h/t Brian McTaggart)"

How’s that been working out for you, Jim?

"It’s very disappointing. We’ve been in a lot of ball games and lost some close ones. We haven’t got a lot of breaks either. We’re not hitting he ball. When you’re not scoring any runs, it’s hard to win games. I think that the hitting’s a little surprising, we thought they’d be a little bit better, but it goes in cycles, so hopefully they’ll pop out of it. (h/t Evan Drellich)"

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Reality check! The Astros organization is still going through some serious growing pains. Thursday’s 10-1 beatdown that included five Houston errors and last night’s debacle are sobering reminders that Crane and company still have a long way to go.

Most of us knew 2014 was going to be another tough year. But this bad? This frustrating?

Well, one man knew all along that 2014 had the potential for epic frustration. No. Not me (although I was pretty sure)… that man is Jeff Luhnow.

Luhnow has never divulged exactly how long the rebuild is supposed to take. And I think this is the first time he’s come out and said anything that could even be perceived as negative. I mean, the last couple of years have been pretty darn frustrating. And this season could be more frustrating?

But, with the lowest payroll in the league, why would we expect anything else? It’s a vicious cycle of frustration. Until the Astros have a profitable TV deal in place, Crane won’t raise payroll to an acceptable level. And most of us still won’t be able to see the games on TV. Talk about frustrating!

So temper your expectations, Astros fans. Beltway 8 wasn’t built in a day.