Each MLB team's best season ever

Each MLB team’s best season ever

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 29: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates with George Springer #4 after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 03: Marwin Gonzalez #9 of the Houston Astros and Alex Bregman #2 hold the World Series Trophy during the Houston Astros Victory Parade on November 3, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 to win the 2017 World Series. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Houston Astros: 2017

Since the Houston Astros have won the World Series only once, it’s a fairly easy call to declare the 2017 season the best in franchise history. And what a year it was. The front office’s multi-year rebuilding plan came together in spectacular fashion. More importantly, the Astros helped rally and unite the city of Houston after the devastating hurricane tore through with massive flooding.

The 2017 Astros won 101 games and had one of the best lineups in recent history. They led the American League in runs, hits, doubles, all three triple-slash statistics and struck out the fewest times in the league. The deadly lineup had 11 players hit more than 10 home runs. Jose Altuve was named the American League MVP after hitting .346/.410/.547 with 24 home runs, 81 RBI and 32 stolen bases. Carlos Correa, Marwin Gonzalez and Josh Reddick also hit over .300. There are just no easy outs in this lineup.

As if having the best lineup in the league wasn’t enough, the Astros also featured a strong starting rotation and bullpen. Everything changed for the team in August when ace Justin Verlander accepted a trade from the Tigers. Verlander went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts to finish the regular season and then went 4-1 in the playoffs with a 2.21 ERA.

With their young core locked up on relatively inexpensive contracts and a deep farm system, this may just be the start of a run of World Series titles for the Astros, but their first one will always be the most memorable, especially for what it meant for helping the city recover.

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