A recent Yahoo article quipped: "Finding a pundit who picked the Astros to win the AL West this season is like finding someone surprised that Ruben Amaro got fired."
And most of us have to admit that we didn't expect the Astros to be contending for the pennant this year. We knew the Astros would be improved, but expected the contending seasons to occur in 2016 or 2017. Personally, I expected the Astros to be a .500 ballclub, which would be a promising season. However, I was also aware that a .500 talent team could become a 86 or 87 win team with a bit of luck.