THE REBUILD
The Houston Astros, the making of a CHAMPION
The Houston Astros might be the biggest surprise to the
average fan, but not to the sportswriters and editors here at McCabe Magazine.
Our season preview selected this club to win the American League South Division
with a 96-66 record. They currently lead the division with a 37-13 record and
have a 12 game lead over the second place Texas Rangers (25-25). After
finishing last in the division 3 straight seasons, the Astros was poised to
ambush the competition this season with its stockpile of young talent. The
headliners of the young talent is Leftfielder Richie Brush (12 HR, 38 RBI, 297 BA), DH Blake Henson (16 HR, 44 RBI, 281 BA), and 1B Magglio Palacios (9 HR, 37 RBI, 346 BA). Brush
and Henson were both 1st round selections in seasons 21 and 22
respectively, with Palacios being an International Free Agent signee in season
21.
Free Agents Find a Home
Don’t let us forget about the veterans on this club, such as
season 26 Free Agent Quinton Bryne an 8 time All-Star and National League Most Valuable
Player, 3 time All-Star Tony Savage (RF), and pitchers Angel Duran
(16 G, 4-0, 0.98 WHIP, 0.63 ERA), Pedro Rodrigo (19 G, 3-0, 0.96 WHIP, 1.81 ERA),
Edgardo Cabrera (8 G, 1-1, 0.92 WHIP, 2.61
ERA),and starter Tommie Simmons (10 GS, 7-0, 1.12 WHIP, 2.64
ERA). Duran (left Arizona), and Rodrigo (Boston) were both FA signings this
season and Timmons was acquired in a trade with the Rangers, the 2nd
place Rangers I might add. We saw this monster beginning to come alive last
season with the change of ownership. New Owner mitt0108 made some eye-popping
moves in Free Agency and some curious trades that some felt were insane, some
thought brilliant, and I believed it was diabolical. The Astros have become
that kind of monster that made the AL owners run through the village with
torches screaming “IT’S ALIVE.”
From worst to first, the Astros have risen from the ashes, looking
to capture its first division crown since season 9 and second division title in
team history.
SEASON 26 POWER RANKINGS
The Robert E.
McCabe Magazine Power Rankings
New York, NY (McC) - The power rankings are an average of the following team statistics; Winning Percentage, OPS, Runs Scored, ERA, WHIP, and Fielding Percentage.
| TOP 10 | ||||
| Rank | Franchise | Owner | W | L |
| 1 | Houston Astros | mitt0108 | 31 | 11 |
| 2 | Chicago Cubs | carseneau | 31 | 11 |
| 3 | Anaheim Angels | captain10a | 25 | 17 |
| 4 | Washington D.C. Nationals | Saffron | 25 | 17 |
| 5 | Cincinnati Reds | cpintens | 23 | 19 |
| 6 | Florida Marlins | lido9613 | 25 | 17 |
| 7 | San Diego Padres | jgarron | 24 | 18 |
| 8 | Minnesota Twins | optistrat | 22 | 20 |
| 9 | Detroit Tigers | patrickkm | 25 | 17 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Pirates | sportbanker | 24 | 18 |
| THE NEXT 5 | ||||
| Rank | Franchise | Owner | W | L |
| 11 | Atlanta Braves | bigsammich | 25 | 17 |
| 12 | Oakland Athletics | jefepwnzer | 22 | 20 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Arte | 27 | 15 |
| 14 | Toronto Blue Jays | dimestoregin | 21 | 21 |
| 15 | New York Mets | basebalguru | 23 | 19 |
| THE BEST of THE REST | ||||
| Rank | Franchise | Owner | W | L |
| 16 | Chicago White Sox | kgrffth | 22 | 20 |
| 17 | Texas Rangers | goldenbaer88 | 20 | 22 |
| 18 | Boston Red Sox | pat007ohmss | 23 | 19 |
| 19 | Colorado Rockies | axtell | 22 | 20 |
| 20 | San Francisco Giants | wylie715 | 18 | 24 |
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