Where Do the Houston Astros Fit in Our MLB Power Rankings?

126. Last season the Rangers had to deal with injuries up and down the lineup. This spring started by the team losing super-prospect Jurickson Profar and ace Yu Darvish for the season. Their rotation is comprised of a bunch of middle-of-the-rotation guys, so look for Alex “Chi Chi” Gonzalez to get a call early in the season once he gets some innings at Triple A. The offense should put up some runs with the returns of Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo, but it likely won’t be enough over the course of a full season. With the Houston Astros having improved, look for the Rangers to finish in the AL West cellar for a second straight year.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Texas Rangers. 25. team

17. The Braves took a step back this offseason, trading Justin Upton, Evan Gattis and Jason Heyward, but the returns should prove to be with it–just not this season. Atlanta spent some money to bring in Nick Markakis from Baltimore, along with Jonny Gomes, Alberto Callaspo, A.J. Pierzynski and Jason Grilli. They’ll add some leadership to this young team, but not much else. They have some nice pieces, but the top three teams in the division have better ones. It’s a one horse race in the NL East this year, and it’s not the 1990s.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Atlanta Braves. 24. team

team. 21. The Rays are now without their manager Joe Maddon (Cubs), their ace David Price (Tigers) and their utility man Ben Zobrist (A’s). The one thing the Rays always have plenty of is pitching. They may end up with one of the best starting rotations in baseball outside of Washington, but the big question in Tampa will be whether or not they can score some runs.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Tampa Bay Rays. 23

Previous: --th. Milwaukee Brewers. 22. team. 76. The Brewers were one of the best teams in baseball for much of 2015, but struggled down the stretch and failed to make the postseason. The team has some excellent pieces offensively in Jonathan Lucroy, Carlos Gomez, Jean Segura and Ryan Braun, while Kyle Lohse has proven to be a workhorse on the mound in recent seasons. The division may be what does this team in, however. It will be between the Brewers and Cubs for third place in the Central in 2015.. (0-0)

43. CC Sabathia is healthy! That’s the good news. The rest of the story is that he is now 34, has a spring ERA of 11.57, and is set to make $23M this season. Carlos Beltran is no spring chicken either, entering his age 38 season. Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller are a formidable pair for locking down games, and one of the two should nail down the closer spot in the early going. Alex Rodriguez is returning for his age 38 season fresh off of his year-long PED suspension and there should be absolutely no news on that front. The Bronx Bombers will miss Jeter’s presence in more ways than one in 2015.. (0-0). Previous: --th. New York Yankees. 21. team

Chicago Cubs. 20. team. 9. The Cubs were like a child in a swimming pool with all of the splashes they made this offseason. They have a new manager in Joe Maddon, an ace atop their rotation in Jon Lester, and slew of young talent (sans Kris Bryant for now) that the fan base should all be excited about. Even bringing back Jason Hammel appears to be a solid move, as Hammel held an 8-5 record along with a 2.85 ERA with Chicago before being traded to Oakland last July. Back to the Future may have been a bit hasty in its prediction of a 2015 World Series Championship, however. The kids will need to gain some experience in the coming years, and once Addison Russell (from that Oakland deal) gets the call the team may be officially ready to start competing.. (0-0). Previous: --th

Previous: --th. Houston Astros. 19. team. 135. Is this ranking a little optimistic? Perhaps, but the Houston Astros focused on areas of need this offseason. They brought in Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek to bolster the bullpen and traded Dexter Fowler to the Cubs for Luis Valbuena and Dan Straily. The folks in the Crawford Boxes will have some fun enticing Evan Gattis to “hit it here” with the short porch in left being just 315 feet away. A lot will rest on the starting pitching this season, with Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh leading the way. Asher Wojciechowski will make his big-league debut next week, and if he performs well, this team could be in contention for a little while.. (0-0)

team. 7. The Royals replaced Billy Butler, who could play a little first base, with Kendrys Morales, who shouldn’t play any first base with Kansas City. Alex Rios takes over for Nori Aoki in right. Staff ace James Shields will be replaced by Yordano Ventura, with Edinson Volquez being added to the rotation from Pittsburgh. But none of that matters. The Royals are built around their bullpen, and if they stay healthy, the team should put up enough runs to be around .500 this season.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Kansas City Royals. 18

New York Mets. 17. team. 3. The Mets will go as far as their starters take them. Matt Harvey is back from Tommy John surgery, and has looked sharp this spring, holding a 1.19 ERA over 22 2/3 innings. Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom will give the Metropolitans a great 1-2 punch with Harvey. Bobby Parnell should return from Tommy John around May, which will give their bullpen a boost. If the bats show up in Citi Field, the Mets could be a contender for a second wild card.. (0-0). Previous: --th

Previous: --th. San Francisco Giants. 16. team. 40. The team just won another World Series title, and they’re ranked this low?! Well, yeah. They lost Pablo Sandoval to Boston, but that’s not why they’re here. Their starting rotation has a lot of question marks heading into the season, and the team has done nothing to soothe those worries. Madison Bumgarner logged 270 innings last season. Tim Hudson struggled for much of the second half, and is entering his age 39 season. Matt Cain missed most of last year due to elbow surgery. Ryan Vogelsong, Tim Lincecum and Yusmeiro Petit will all likely see time in the Giants’ rotation over the course of the season, and  while Petit has become something of a star with his postseason performance, his splits suggest he’s much better as a long reliever than as a full-fledged starter. Hunter Pence is expected to miss the first month of the season, and with the teams around them improving, that month could put the Giants behind early.. (0-0)

I heard the Marlins spent some money this offseason. Lots of it. Giancarlo Stanton is locked up for years to come, and watching them build a contender around him and Jose Fernandez will be exciting. Unfortunately Fernandez won’t return until the second half of the season, but the fish have a pretty solid pitching core. Christian Yelich, Stanton and Marcell Ozuna make up one of the best outfields in the bigs, and they’re only going to get better. Dee Gordon will have to prove to the doubters that last season was no fluke, and if he does, the Marlins will be a legitimate threat late in the season.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Miami Marlins. 15. team. 82

Previous: --th. San Diego Padres. 14. team. 127. With all of the big-name additions the Padres made this winter (James Shields, Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, Derek Norris, Will Middlebrooks and Wil Myers) this team reminds me of the Dodgers a few years back. Those Dodgers teams took a while to gel, but come midseason they were a force to reckon with. How quickly this team comes together will dictate where they stand at the end of the season. San Diego has always had the pitching to compete, but now they have the bats to actually score some runs.. (0-0)

Previous: --th. Oakland Athletics. 13. team. 96. Fool me once–nobody fools Billy Beane. The league zigs, so he zagged this offseason, leading many to believe he had lost his mind. Instead, Oakland looks to have another strong team on their hands. While they will be lacking the power that recent teams have enjoyed, the A’s added more contact hitters via free agency and trade. This is a new approach for a team that doesn’t like to play small ball. With their pitching depth, look for Oakland to make a trade, possibly of Scott Kazmir, around the deadline when Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin are set to return from Tommy John to address any weaknesses they have. The A’s could be a surprise team this season, which sounds silly to say at this point.. (0-0)

team. 11. The Orioles were quiet this winter, but with Matt Wieters and Manny Machado returning from injury, they could afford to be. Losing Nelson Cruz will hurt, but if Chris Davis shows some pop like he did in 2013, then Baltimore will be in good shape. The AL East will be a tough division, but with the Orioles having the third-best offense in said division, they finish–well, third.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Baltimore Orioles. 12

63. This should be an interesting year in the Motor City. They still don’t have much of a bullpen, but they have that great crop of starters! Well, Justin Verlander is starting the season on the disabled list, Max Scherzer is now on the Nationals, and Rick Porcello is in Boston. Well, at least they have David Price and Anibal Sanchez. Price and Yoenis Cespedes have one year left on their contracts, so after 2015 the Tigers could have a whole new look.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Detroit Tigers. 11. team

Previous: --th. Chicago White Sox. 10. team. 128. I like pitching, and the White Sox have a very formable 1-2 punch in Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija. Throw in Jose Quintana for good measure, and three-fifths of the rotation is solid. The Sox also added David Robertson at the back-end of the bullpen, which gives them a leg up on Detroit–having a living, breathing closer is a leg up–and should help the Sox to finish in second in the Central.. (0-0)

The Blue Jays offseason started off with a bang, bringing in the best catcher on the market in Russell Martin, and the best third baseman–who wasn’t even on the market–in Josh Donaldson. Since then, the Jays have lost Marcus Stroman for the season, and two arms that could have built up some pitching depth in Sean Nolin and Kendall Graveman, are now in Oakland. This team can mash, however. In a time when runs are at a premium, the Blue Jays should be among the league’s best in runs scored. They may not win many 2-1 matchups, but if they can stay healthy the Jays should have a successful season.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Toronto Blue Jays. 9. team. 39

Previous: --th. St. Louis Cardinals. 8. team. 33. The Cardinals are always contenders, and since it has been a few years since their last title, they’ll probably take the crown this season. Their rotation looks solid, starting at the top with Adam Wainwright, who when healthy is one of the best in the game. Adding Jason Heyward was an interesting move He has the talent, and could be ready to give an encore to his 2012 season (27 home runs, 82 rbi, 21 steals) with the Red Birds.. (0-0)

team. 102. The Angels ran away with the division last season, finishing 11 games ahead of Oakland when all was said and done. Their 98 wins failed to net them a single postseason victory, however. The rotation has some questions, with Jered Weaver not what he once was, Garrett Richards missing the end of last year, C.J. Wilson being an all-or-nothing pitcher these days, and whether or not Matt Shoemaker can replicate his 2014 success. Josh Hamilton received word that MLB cannot suspend him for his off-the-field issues this offseason, which seemed to irk Angels management. Trouble may be brewing in Southern California, but any team with Mike Trout should have plenty to smile about.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Anaheim Angels. 6

Previous: --th. Pittsburgh Pirates. 5. team. 4. The Pirates added Jung Ho Kang this offseason, and the early returns have been underwhelming. Kang has struck out in 17 of his 44 at-bats while batting .205 this spring. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Andrew McCutchen is still one of the best players in baseball, and the Pirates ranked 8th in ERA last season. Moving Pedro Alvarez from third to first base will help to limit his throwing errors from a season ago, but will also keep his bat in the lineup. The Pirates will win the NL Central this season.. (0-0)

(0-0). Previous: --th. Boston Red Sox. 4. team. 14. The Red Sox added big name free agents in Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval this winter. Couple them with their young talent in Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Rusney Castillo, and the Sox have one of the best lineups in the league. The potential problem will be their starting rotation. Clay Buckholtz and Rick Porcello go one, two atop the rotation, which is a large step back from Jon Lester and fill in the blank. The Sox will be depending on their bats this summer, which hasn’t been a problem before.

Previous: --th. Seattle Mariners. 3. team. 62. The Mariners missed the wild card by one game last season. What they’ve needed was a right-handed power bat. Now they have that in Nelson Cruz. The M’s rotation and bullpen is one of the best in baseball, and their offense is coming around, even in the pitcher’s park that is SafeCo Field. One thing to keep an eye on with Seattle is how they deal with the pressure of being the presumptive favorites in the AL West. This is uncharted territory for them.. (0-0)

2. team. 71. I’ll just say it now. Moneyball with money. There, now I never have to say it again, and neither should you. The Dodgers play in a weak division, and are easily the best team in it. Clayton Kershaw is a dominant force, and Joc Pederson will be a joy to watch in center. Some teams wait for their ace every fifth day, but each of the guys in their rotation could take that title on another team. Top to bottom this team is legit. This is one of two teams that could win 100+ games this season, which is a feat not many teams accomplish nowadays.. (0-0). Previous: --th. Los Angeles Dodgers

90. Of course it’s the Nationals. Take what I just said about the Dodgers’ rotation and add one Tanner Roark to the mix. Health will be the key for this team throughout the season. If they can stay healthy, we should see a stellar season from Bryce Harper (still only 22), while Anthony Rendon will look to become a household name in his own right. The battle for the top spot in the National League should be interesting between these Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers. What an NLCS that would be!. (0-0). Previous: --th. Washington Nationals. 1. team