For the first time since 2002, last year we saw a team win its very first World Series.
...now what?
The 2017 Houston Astros were dominant from the beginning, and built up their legacy as they went on, banking on big players and guys that hit for average, and not even sweating in the face of legitimate competition. Now, here we are in 2018, at the point where the Astros are relied upon to defend their title. There has to be the question of 'do these guys have it in them to win another one?', because we've seen guys like the Royals and Cubs fail to register with the following year's crowd.
Looking at the first week or so of Astros results, and...yeah, these guys look pretty damn good.
Jose Altuve, Josh Reddick, Brian McCann, Carlos Correa...all hitting insanely well right now, and all doing some great stuff all-around. Gerrit Cole threw 11 strikeouts in his first game as an Astro. Verlander, Keuchel and Morton are all throwing well. the bullpen looks strong. This team, despite a few lineup problems that need to be shored up (like J.D. Davis), looks pretty great heading into the other weeks of the year.
And yes, I realize that the Angels could sneak up on them, or that the Rangers or somebody could make a comeback and ruin everything for everyone, and if that happens...fine, but this Astros team seems to be picking up where the last one left off, and there's not a huge disconnect between this squad and the one that won the World Series.
I'm sensing some good stuff from the Astros this year. Hope I'm right.
Coming Tomorrow- An ex-Phillie, now playing shortstop for another...uh, 5th place team.
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