Fantasy Baseball: 2015 Houston Astros Fantasy Outlook

Mar 29, 2015; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros right fielder George Springer (4) strikes out during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Spring Training is in full swing (pun intended), and the regular season is right around the corner. That means that our fantasy drafts are as well.

2015 Houston Astros Projected Starting Lineup:

C: Jason Castro (.222, 14HR, 56RBI, 1 SB)
1B: Chris Carter (.227, 37HR, 88RBI, 5SB)
2B: Jose Altuve (.341, 7HR, 59RBI, 56SB)
SS: Jed Lowrie (.249, 6HR, 50RBI, 0SB)
3B: Luis Valbuena (.249, 16HR, 51RBI, 1SB with Cubs)
LF: Colby Rasmus (.225, 18HR, 40RBI, 4SB with Toronto)
CF: Jake Marisnick (.249, 3HR, 19RBI, 11SB in 65 games)
RF: George Springer (.231, 20HR, 51RBI, 5SB in 78 games)
DH: Evan Gattis (.263, 22HR, 52RBI, 0SB in 108 games withÂ Atlanta)

Castro has decent power, and there isÂ reason to believe that he can hit for a better average than he did last year. His power makes him a nice add in later rounds of your standard league draft if you aren’t willing to pay for a catcher.

Carter has awesome power, but he is going to hurt your average. That said, there are very few people that can hit 40 home runs, and Carter is one of them. If you are good on average in the early rounds, taking Carter in the sixth isn’t a bad idea.

Altuve shattered the franchise hit record last year and stole nearly 60 bases. Everyone knew he had it in him to win a batting title, but can he do it again? Maybe not, but I would be very surprised if he hit under .300 or slipped under 40 steals. That still puts him near the upper tier of second baseman. If he is around in the late third or early fourth round, you will be happy with him.

Lowrie is just keeping the seat warm until Jonathan Villar proves he can hit major league pitching. They would love to have his speed (35 steals in 145 major league games) at the top of the lineup. What about Carlos Correa, you ask? The organization’s top prospect will be in the minors for at least a couple of months to prove that he is ready before they even think about calling him up. I still have my doubts that he will stick at short, especially with Villar there. I think he will be a third baseman, which would push Valbuena to a utility role. Keep an eye on Correa’s progression through the minors. He could have an impact when he makes it to the big leagues, which should happen sometime this summer.

Lowrie and Valbuena will only help you in deeper leagues. If Villar takes the starting job at some point and you need steals, he might be worth picking up in standard leagues.

Rasmus has been dreadful against left handed pitching for most of his career. Who will be his platoon mate? Good question. Robbie Grossman is a much better hitter from the left side, and Gattis will spend most of his time as the DH. Rasmus will likely have a longer leash in Houston, at least until Domingo Santana gets called up. Rasmus could be useful in deep leagues.

Marisnick came over in the Jarred Cosart deal. He was one of the top prospects in the Marlins system, but has yet to show much promise in the big leagues. He has good speed, but needs to choose his spots better. He was never a great hitter in the minors, but he was good and kept a healthy OBP. He is a sleeper candidate for 30 steals, which makes him a nice pick later in deep leagues.

Springer might have the best raw power in the major leagues. He hit 65 home runs in 287 minor league games, and also sported a .302 batting average in the minors. He should at least be able to hit .260 in the majors, and he has the potential to hit 40 home runs. He is still young and there will be growing pains, but he is still worth picking in the late third to early fourth round.

Gattis will finally get to showcase his bat without all the rigors of catching. The good news is that he is still eligible at catcher in fantasy leagues this year. The bad news is that he likely won’t be next year. He is a popular early round pick because 30 home runs is not only possible, but likely with him in the lineup every day. To get that production from a catcher is demanding a higher premium, but he could be totally worth your fourth round pick.

Next: How Does The Rotation Look?

Mar 16, 2015; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel (60) pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves pitches duat Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

2015 Houston Astros Projected Starting Rotation:

Dallas Keuchel (12-9, 2.93 ERA, 146K)
Scott Feldman (8-12, 3.74 ERA, 107K)
Asher Wojciechowski (4-4, 4.74 ERA, 59K in 14 AAA starts)
Collin McHugh (11-9, 2.73 ERA, 157K)
Roberto Hernandez (8-11, 4.10 ERA, 105K with Phillies and Dodgers)
Luke Gregerson (5-5, 2.12 ERA, 59K 3 saves in 72 appearances with Oakland)

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Keuchel was an All Star last year, and you can’t say that he didn’t deserve it. He is not a high strikeout pitcher, but his wins should increase with a better offense. He likely won’t post a sub-3 ERA again, but he should be able to stay in the mid 3’s, and has a shot at 15 wins. He is a solid pitcher to round out your standard league rotation.

Feldman doesn’t have much upside. He doesn’t strike out enough batters to be held in a standard league, but he could be worth streaming. He is a solid back end options in leagues without innings caps or of 12 or more teams.

Wojciechowski has had a brilliant spring, which has earned him a spot in the starting rotation. he doesn’t strike out a lot of batters either, and is only useful in deep leagues unless he comes out of the gate strong.

McHugh’s 2014 campaign really did come out of nowhere. There is reason to believe his ERA will regress since his ERA in the minors was 3.35. He likely won’t strike out a batter per inning either since he only accomplished that in one minor league season. All of the warning signs are there for a regression, so use caution in standard leagues. He will still be useful to deep league players though.

Roberto Hernandez is just here to eat innings until Mark Appel is ready. Appel had a dreadful first half of 2014 stat wise, which caused a panic among the Astros faithful. The management was not alarmed because he hadn’t lost any velocity and was still locating his pitches. He rebounded to have a nice second half, and perch himself near the top of prospect lists once again. He will be up as soon as he dominates AAA to the Astros’ satisfaction.

If you have a spare bench spot in a deeper league, Appel might be worth stashing. He could have a major impact at some point this season. As far as Hernandez, I wouldn’t even trust him in deep leagues.

Gregerson was one of the most dominant setup men in his years in San Diego, and he looked really good in Oakland last year as well. He had success as the closer in 2012 when Huston Street went down, but has never had the closer role for more than six weeks at a time. He is worth drafting in the later rounds of standard leagues if you need saves, but there is always a chance that Chad Qualls (1-5, 3.33 ERA, 19/25 saves) could take the job back.

Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR as our team by team rundown continues getting you ready for Opening Day!

Next: Is Bryce Harper A Top Ten Outfielder?

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