Houston Astros: 3 Up and 3 Down

The 2011 version of the Houston Astros finished dead last. Not just in the NL Central, but in all of baseball. Their 56-106 record was 7 full wins less than the next worst team (Minnesota). To say that there is reason for optimism in 2012 would be misleading. Jose Altuve If nothing else, the Astros did give fans a peak at the future. Brian Bogusevic, J.D. Martinez, Jose Altuve, Jimmy Paredes, and Jordan Lyles all spent a bunch of time with the big club and showed plenty of upside. They’ll get a full year to show what they can do this time around. The Astros made a potentially nice move in the offseason. They shipped closer Mark Melancon back to Boston for Jed Lowrie, who is slated to play every day at shortstop. And don’t forget that they also brought Jordan Schafer over from the Braves in the Michael Bourn deal late last year to see if he can regenerate his once promising career. [2012 MLB Preview Central] When a team is down and out it’s always nice to check in on the farm system ...