It wasn't that long ago that the Astros farm system was like a barren field. In just a few short years that has changed considerably and the team we see at Minute Maid today is largely made up of homegrown talent.
Almost exactly two years ago (May 8, 2013) I wrote an article here at Crawfish Boxes about hope, The Houston Astros Vegetable Garden - Buying seeds and nurturing growth. Go ahead, go read it. I'll wait here.
As fans, we were all in the thick of despair. We were screaming at our televisions during every game.