At first glance, the motto of "Root. Root. Root." appeared to be nothing more than wishful thinking for the Astros faithful.
The 2012 Houston Astros have exceeded those expectations by 110 percent.
While I am not saying that the Astros will be popping champagne in late October, or even have a realistic shot at the playoffs, the point is this team has a lot to be excited about going forward this season, as well as years to come.
Through my early viewing of this team, I have pinpointed five keys to the Astros maintaining the early successes that they have found.
1. Fixing Bases Loaded AB struggles:
While you would be crazy to say the Astros would go hitless for the '12 season when it comes to bases loaded at bats this season, it's obvious early on that they are struggling in those clutch situations.
As of right now (April 16 before the start of the game against the Nationals) the Astros are 0-11 in bases loaded situations. If they could find a way to empty the bags in these types of situations, the win total would definitely rise.
2.Stop the Errors:
The Astros are on pace for 162 errors this season.
How Many Wins will the Astros have in 2012
How Many Wins will the Astros have in 2012
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Less than 50
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50-70
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71-80
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81-89
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90+
This issue will have to be addressed by the team going forward. Errors are one of the most costly occurrences in Major League Baseball.
These guys make the big bucks for a reason.
Everyone will have a slip up now and again when it comes to glove work, but the errors will have to be cut down on by this young ball club if they wish to stay in close games.
3. Catcher's at the Plate:
Jason Castro and Chris Snyder are a combined 4-34 so far this season at the plate.
Snyder was brought in with the hopes he could add some power to the lineup and help this young team score more runs, as well as lead with a veteran presence.
I don't expect either of these guys to lead the league in average. At the same time, I don't expect their averages to stay this low either.
They will have to find some type of maintainable production at the plate in order to contribute and keep those runs coming across the plate.
4. Rotation Production:
I am extremely proud of this young rotation for the most part.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
I'm most excited about the stats that J.A. Happ has been able to put up in his first couple starts of the season.
While I first thought that moving Myers out of a starting role and into the position of Closer may hurt the team, I am quickly believing that the starting five possesses the ability to get the job done.
The only real question mark I have going forward for them is Kyle Weiland. Everyone else should hold up just fine.
5. Staying Excited:
This team is young and expected to finish towards the bottom of the league when all is said and done.
As of right now, most believe they are playing high above expectations. The key will be if this roster can maintain their early excitement when they hit their first losing skid of the season.
J.D. Martinez could be a future cornerstone for this franchise, and is excellent with power, average and hitting in the clutch. His current nine game hitting streak is the longest to start a season for the Astros since Craig Biggio in 2005.
Also, guys like Jose Altuve are absolutely ecstatic about their first full season in the majors. Even if the wins become less frequent, if this team can stay excited about competing they will be a blast to watch this season.
Follow Brandon Wheeland on twitter @BrandonWheeland for the perfect mixture of sports news, analysis and satire.
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