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Starting Rotation Summary
At the end of the day, the Astros starting rotation is banking on health and improvement. Consider this for a moment: the starting rotation in 2016 posted a combined 4.17 FIP. That metric was good for twelfth-best in the league. Sure, it wasn’t a notable rotation, but it wasn’t quite as bad as what others were led to believe. In case you are wondering, the combined ERA was 4.37 last year. That was good for fifteenth-best in the league last year. So right about average.
Next: Astros Spring Notes: Dallas Keuchel Takes a Step Forward
Of course, an average starting rotation won’t likely win a championship or push the team deep into the postseason. But the pieces are there currently that can see this rotation keep this year’s team in contention all season long. Will it happen is a whole other question.
**Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs, MLB.com and Brooks Baseball**