Astros spell out season’s priority
Earlier this decade, the Astros didn’t have to come up with a new team slogan every year.
The franchise’s marketing team held on to “more than a game” for a couple of seasons in an attempt to get fans through the doors and into seats at Minute Maid Park. Those days — when from 2011 to 2013 the team annually lost more than 100 games — seem like a really long time ago.
The Astros don’t have to sell a lot of bells and whistles anymore. Fans want to pour through the gates to see what’s happening on the field.
The Astros on Wednesday unveiled their motto for 2019, and it’s all about winning. “Take it back.” The pressure is on for a franchise that has spent the past four seasons winning. When the Astros
captured their first World Series title in 2017, the bar was set.
They didn’t reach their goals last year, falling short in the American League Championship Series to eventual champ Boston. It wasn’t a great feeling as the Astros sat in their dugout watching the Red Sox celebrate their pennant on the Minute Maid field at the conclusion of ALCS Game 5.
The clubhouse was subdued and somber while players said their goodbyes to each other that October night. The Astros vowed then and there to be better “next year.”
Next year is here. Spring training gets underway next week, and the goal is clear: Win another championship.
“The standards have been raised here for a while now, and our guys know it,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “They know where the bar is set. There is an expectation of winning here.”
What a difference a few years makes. In 2015, winning 103 games and making it to the ALCS would have been considered a great accomplishment. (As was that year’s 86-win season and first playoff trip in 10 years.) In 2018, it was a disappointment.
When the Astros say they want to “take it back,” they mean it. The team thrives on winning. From dugout celebrations like Tony Kemp’s “Hugs for Homers” or the Alex Bregmanled staredown challenge, it’s easy to see how much the players like each other and like the success they bring one other.
Last season, the Astros looked like a team that could repeat as World Series champions. Bregman blossomed into a bona fide star. The pitching rotation was among baseball’s best.
Things fell apart against Boston. And the team had the offseason to evaluate why.
Notable absences
The squad will look somewhat different with the absence of former Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel and utility man extraordinaire Marwin Gonzalez. (At least it’s asumed they’ll be gone. Both entered free agency and remain unsigned less than a week before spring training.)
But the players who are back are appealing, especially if everyone can remain healthy. Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and Bregman are coming back from injuries but show signs of being ready to go this spring, which has Hinch understandably excited. And the Astros have added intriguing pieces in outfielder Michael Brantley, catcher Robinson Chirinos, utility man Aledmys Diaz and, most recently, lefthanded starter Wade Miley.
A few things must be decided during spring training at West Palm Beach, most notably the No. 5 starting pitcher and who will most frequently fill the designated hitter role. Regardless of how those things shake out, the Astros are built to win.
It’s easy to get excited about the team again and understand why orange hats and Altuve T-shirts are everywhere you look in Houston. The Astros aren’t the only ones who think they can “take it back.” Their fan base believes it, too.
Hinch understands what taking back a championship entails. Winning 11 postseason games is a tall task. The Red Sox won’t surrender their crown lightly. The Yankees have thump and a loaded bullpen. The Dodgers, whom Hinch acknowledged Wednesday among sports teams with sustained success, crave a title after winning back-to-back National League pennants.
And before they can navigate the playoffs, the Astros must of course take care of business in the regular season.
“I am the guy behind the scenes keeping our feet on the ground,” Hinch said. “To win (a championship) you have to win series, you have to win homestands. We have to be sure we are taking care of those things.”
The Astros have the pieces in place. The Core Four of Altuve, Correa, Bregman and George Springer is back. Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Collin McHugh and Miley are a strong quartet of starting pitchers.
Upend the Red Sox
They’ll work on outfield depth — assisted by what might be a steal of an offseason signing in Brantley — and being as versatile as possible across the board.
All in the name of regaining the upper hand on the Red Sox, whom the Astros beat in the ALDS en route to the 2017 title, and getting back on top.
“We are built to win for the foreseeable future,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “We have at least four position players that can compete for MVP this year. We have at least two starters who can compete for a Cy Young this year.
“We want to win again soon. We want to win for a long time.”