The newsletter spends several months examining the greatness of the past. It focuses on 50 baseball clubs in history (collectively the best 50), which is determined by my new book The best team in baseball. We have reached No. 43 on the 2017 Houston Astros' all-time roster.
Here is a quick boilerplate note attached to each story I have in this series:
I compiled the best 50 by analyzing 2,544 major league teams from 1903 to 2024. (The historical percentile for a given club is the percentage of its other 2,543 teams.)
Please refer to my book to explain my TS calculations. The book also offers a separate breakdown of the best and worst clubs every decade, along with a comprehensive overview of the best 50 (including a position-by-position lineup and more information than you will find in this newsletter), and a similar summary of the 10 worst teams of all time.
Now enter today's profile.
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Team: 2017 Houston Astros
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Team Score: 85.289 points
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Ranking History: 43 of 2,544
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Historical percentile: 98.35%
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Seasonal record: 101-61 (.623)
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Season position: No. 1 in the Western Conference of the American League
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Final identity: World Champion
The Astronauts were the worst team in the Grand Slams between 2011 and 2013. They suffered 324 losses in these three bleak seasons. No other franchise has more than 291. But Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow is still optimistic. “The darkest moment is before the sun rises, and I think that's where we are now,” he said.
Luhnow's belief was awarded in 2015 and 2016, when the Astronauts ended up being controversial by a margin of 0.500. Optimism performed very well in 2017. “The whole team is strong,” the pitcher said Charlie Morton. “I just can’t see how we don’t win.”
They won. Houston led the American League West on Memorial Day and finally expanded its profit margin to 21. The Astronauts hit two leagues in both scores (5.53 runs per game) and average hit rate (.282), due to the later revelation that the club violated baseball rules by stealing opponents’ signals by using video feeds. (Scandals have not affected the ranking of astronauts in my history. See my book for explanation.)
Get a complete low in 50 greatest (and 10 weakest) clubs of all time
The Astronauts easily beat the Red Sox in the American League Division Series. Their remaining playoff challenges are even more difficult.
The Yankees pushed Houston to the brink of elimination in the AL Championship series, forcing the Astros to win the last two games. The World Series also made a distance, with Houston defeating Los Angeles 5-1 in Game 7. Midfielder George Springer Leading five home runs and seven RBI vs. Dodgers lead the Astros.
Los Angeles pitcher Clayton Kershaw He received 11 strikeouts in Game 1, but only two in Game 5. He insisted that the difference lies in the location. The first game was played at Dodger Stadium, while the rematch was held in Houston, where Astronauts could easily access their video feeds. “They didn’t sway and miss it,” Kershaw said, “because they knew what was going to happen.”
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Five feet six Jose Altuve One of the smallest players in baseball. He is one of the best, too.
Altuve already owns two American League batting champions, and his 2017 average of .346, earning a third. The short second baseman is an outlier in a wide shaky sport. “As a scout, you have to praise a little guy, too.” “Look at what they have. Who knows?”
Shortstop Carlos Correathe 2015 AL Rookie of the Year hit 0.315 in 2017. He is still only 22 years old. “It's no secret that he's going to be one of the best people,” Altuve said. Four Astronauts hit more than 20 home runs and drove home more than 80 times: Correa, Altuve, Center Fielder George Springer and Utilityman Marwin Gonzalez.
Dallas Keuchel In his first three seasons with the Astros, he worked hard to achieve a 21-27 record, only winning the Cy Young Award in 2015. “He is our trump card. He is our guy,” aj hinch. Keuchel rewarded his manager with a 14-5 record and a shiny 2.90 ERA in 2017.
But the Astronauts still need extra pitches, so they have to deal with it Justin Verlander On August 31, the superstar who has been with the Tigers since 2005 developed five games for Houston and won all the games. He added four playoff wins.
