As updated prospect rankings trickle in to the Athletic, MLB.com, and ESPN, and as we inch closer to catchers and pitchers reporting, it’s worth looking at some of the players and storylines that will determine whether Jim Crane’s dictum will be true, that the competitive window never closes in Houston. Here are ten minor league plot lines to follow.
- Finding the next JP France. Last year a seemingly deep rotation was tested due to concurrent injuries of LMJ, Luis Garcia, and Jose Urquidy. Out of nowhere JP France made 23 starts and three 136 innings for the Astros.