FanPost

Winning: When is the time right?

There is no doubt that Astros fans are ready to see a winner. But when is the time right. If the Astros improve to 70 wins in 2013. The fans would get very excited about this team going into 2014. Actually the fans should be excited about the future of this team now. So when is the right time to win.

2013 is a not a pivotal year for the Astros. If the Astros do what most "experts" expect them to do and lose 100+ games again, all that means is another number one pick coming into the ever improving farm system. This is not a bad thing. For the casual fan, losing 100+ games means their team is terrible and adds to their frustration, perhaps even "shoving" them to jump on another teams band wagon. Quite frankly, they were never true fans to begin with. But for the knowledgeable fan, understanding that the goal of this organization is to be a long term contender starting in 2015, adding to the talent pool and growing this team into a contender is exciting. This would mean to those fans that a significant increase in wins in 2013 is not such a good thing.

2014 is the right time for this team to take the first step. 70+ wins should be a target at that time. Singleton, Springer, Cosart and DeShields should be ready to step onto the big stage in full time roles and if they aren't ready, there appears to be a solid line of talented players right behind them. No, the Astros won't be ready to roll up the Rangers, Yankees and Red Sox (We'll see about the Yankees), but they should be closing in on .500. Then in 2015 we'll start seeing how they compare to the big boys.

So sit tight Astros fans, enjoy the growing pains of the "Toddler-Stros". 2013 should be another low win season. But this is a fun (hard but fun) time for real fans who understand the plan. Stay the course, support the team, watch the kids grow up and reap the benefits in 2015 and beyond.