3 reasons why the Astros could win 100 games

The Astros’ offense will get much better.

The Astros have raised the top of the AL West during the first 40 games without getting a ton from their offense. As of Monday, the team’s batting average was .229 (19th) and its OBS was only .310 (17th) — substandard levels for this caliber of roster.

Despite those numbers, The Astros have found a way to eke out wins this by not having one everyday player hitting above .290. But as the season goes on, the club should find its offensive groove.

The Astros have a ton of great hitters with a large enough sample size to suggest that they get better as the season goes on. listed below or four key hitters first half and second half stats.

Alex Bregman – 1st half: .269 BA  (97 tOPS), 2nd half: .297 BA (tOPS 110)

Kyle Tucker – 1st half: .265 BA (89 tOPS), 2nd half: .297 BA (tOPS 118)

Jose Altuve – 1st half: .305 BA (tOPS 102),  2nd half: .309 BA (tOPS 103)

Mike Brantley – 1st half .294 BA (tOPS 99), 2nd half: .301 BA (tOPS 101)

I think it’s fair to say we’ve seen the floor from this juggernaut offensive lineup, and they should start smacking hits more frequently as the season wanes on.

The Astros’ remaining schedule is much easier.

The Astros navigated through arguably the toughest month of their schedule in April, playing their first nine games on the road, as well as matchups against the contending Toronto Blue Jays and  the feisty Seattle Mariners. Now, this arduous road known as the MLB season looks a lot less painful.

Houston has the sixth-easiest remaining schedule in the majors, when factoring in opponent win percentage, home vs, away games and travel. The only foreseeable tough stretches for this club would be a six-game road swing in New York playing both the Yankees and the Mets, the six total games against the Tampa Bay Rays and the 12 or so games left against a very competitive Los Angeles Angels.

But who else will they play? They have 19 games left against the Oakland A’s — who are likely going to be selling off players and auctioning off seats from the stands —, 15 games against the Texas Rangers — who are the resident AL West punching bag now with a bigger payroll —, seven games left against the Baltimore Orioles — who have been rebuilding since 1999 — and seven games against the Kansas City Royals — who will also likely be sellers around the trade deadline.

That’s 48 games against teams who will be severely outmatched when going up against Houston. I have the club going 36-12 against these teams.

When you add up their current record plus those 48 games against those four bottom-dwellers, the Astros project to have a record of 59-26. And even if the Astros win only a conservative 50% of those remaining 77 games (38-39), that would still put the season win total at 97.

With the Astros offense likely improving, the return of McCullers and the assumption of no major deflating injuries, I argue that Houston could easily exceed100 wins.

The Astros have viable trade options now to get a “World Series piece.”

The Astros have five starting pitchers — seven when McCullers and Odorizzi return this year. They have three centerfielders not named Pedro Leon. They have Triple-A depth in Enoli Paredes, Josh James, Niko Goodrum and Taylor Jones that could draw interest from major-league clubs.

And they have the mysterious and talented arm rumored to be known as Forrest Whitley, who is eyeing a rehab assignment, according to Astros Future.

The Astros don’t have enough to get a “Max Scherzer Type” player, but the Astros now have options at the deadline if they wanted to go get a significant piece for a title run.

This is a testament to the Astros’ brilliant development staff. Over the years, the Astros have made guys like JD Davis, Myles Straw, Bryan de La Cruz and Abraham Toro legitimate lineup options that they can leverage in trades.

And the terrific play of Chas McCormick and Jose Siri has significantly boosted their trade values and gives the Astros more options at the deadline than I originally thought. While the platoon awaits its fait, Jake Meyers nears a return, starting with live at-bats in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Houston could explore acquiring another starting quality pitcher — Frankie Montas or Luis Castillo. The club could offer one of its centerfielders and a few prospects to get that guy. Or if the Astros decide they need more offense at the catcher position, they have some realistic pieces to potentially get a Willson Contreras or Sean Murphy.

General manager James Click doesn’t hit on every move, but I trust with his vaunted trade pieces around him, he can find an impact player to help the Astros win even more games and hopefully a championship.

The grass is green, Astros fans. I could be very wrong and this time next month you can go after me on Twitter if it would make you feel better. But the Astros have a sneaky deep roster, even for their recent standards, and project to only rake up more wins.

Sit back and enjoy.