What a year. For the Astros, it was quite the roller coaster ride, going in directions both expected (AL West title, hosting a playoff series at home), and not (7-19 start, the fastest playoff trip for the team since 2001). Now, 27 observations about the Astros and others in MLB this past season.
- Sometimes, it can be harder to maintain a great team vs. building up a bad one for a first year manager. For Joe Espada, he got tasked with a team coming off seven straight ALCS appearances. Yet, he couldn’t have foreseen the team’s nightmare start of 7-19.