Super Astros Crawfish Boil: April 5, 2015

Good morning boys and girls. We have real baseball today. Here are a bunch of previews to hold you over till Opening Day at Minute Maid Park.

2015 AL West preview: Houston Astros aren't a joke anymore - Athletics Nation
The Astros stopped being funny last year, and now they might be downright decent.

2015 Preview: Houston Astros | HardballTalk
Are the Astros ready to contend?

2015 MLB preview: Houston Astros - AOL.com
The Astros' experiment appears to be slowly coming to fruition. After refusing to pay to stay even mildly competitive, the 'Stros brought up a ton of ...

AL West Preview: Houston Astros - Lookout Landing
The Astros made a number of moves this offseason and it looks like they've turned a corner as an organization.

Five bold predictions for the 2015 Houston Astros | MLB | Sporting News
The second year in the American League was much better for the Astros than the first, as Houston improved by 19 games, going 70-92 to end a three-year streak of 100-loss seasons. Houston escaped the basement in the West as the cross-state rival Rangers finished with the league’s worst record, and Jose Altuve was the Astros’ first 6 WAR player since Lance Berkman in 2008.

Three reasons to watch the Houston Astros in 2015 | FOX Sports
The Astros got valuable production from several unexpected sources last season, and they added some veteran pieces to their young roster this offseason. Will it be enough for Jose Altuve and Co. to compete in the AL West?

AL West 2015 preview: For Angels to repeat, they'll have to fend off Mariners | Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports
From Yahoo Sports: It should be a good race out West, and we're not counting out the Oakland A's completely either.

Scouting the AL West: Cano, plus new players boost Mariners - NY Daily News
Don’tcha know, Robbie Cano, the Mariners have put together a pretty darn good team around you.

Predicting the season win total for the Houston Astros - MLB
Joe Peta predicts the season win total for the Houston Astros and gives a bet recommendation.

2015 AL West Preview: Prepare for Playoff Baseball in Seattle "
Another day, another division with a tight race at the top.

2015 Previews: The American League West in a nutshell | HardballTalk
Everything you need to know about the AL West in one handy, dandy package

A.L. Preview: Orioles Fine-Tune a Winning Formula - NYTimes.com
It might be easy to overlook the Orioles, who lost three well-known players in the off-season without adding brand-name replacements, but Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter have forged a winning formula.

MLB Preview -- AL West
Projected records and key contributors for every team in the American League, starting with the AL West.