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Preparations have begun for the 2016 baseball season, roster have started to finalized. With that fact, ESPN's Buster Olney has begun to ranks the positions for all 30 teams. The first place Olney started is starting pitching -- which you can read here. ESPN's top baseball reporter notes the New York Mets as the top rotation, followed by the Indians, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Dodgers, Pirates, Nationals, Diamondbacks and Rays.
Olney included the Red Sox and Astros as teams that just missed the cut. Olney notes for the Astros:
The Houston Astros, anchored by Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel.
The Astros rotation current sits at Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh, Mike Fiers, Lance McCullers and Scott Feldman.
Keuchel was the 2015 Cy Young award winner, posting a 20-8 record with a 2.48 ERA, 216 strikeouts and a 1.02 WHIP in 33 starts. McHugh was 19-7 record with a 3.89 ERA, 171 strikeouts and 1.28 WHIP in 32 starts. Fiers was 7-10 with a 3.68 ERA, 180 strikeouts, and 1.25 WHIP in 30 starts between the Brewers and Astros. McCullers started 22 games in his rookie season and ended with a 6-7 record and a 3.22 ERA. Feldman had his 2015 season cut short by a right shoulder sprain.
FanGraphs projects the Astros around the same spot as Olney at number 12, just behind the Red Sox and Mariners.
| FanGraphs Starting Pitcher 2016 Projections | ||||||
| Name | IP | BABIP | LOB% | ERA | FIP | WAR |
| Dallas Keuchel | 215 | 0.306 | 74.8 % | 3.04 | 3.25 | 4.9 |
| Collin McHugh | 191 | 0.299 | 72.7 % | 3.79 | 3.93 | 2.7 |
| Lance McCullers | 170 | 0.302 | 72.4 % | 3.81 | 3.79 | 2.7 |
| Mike Fiers | 159 | 0.293 | 75.7 % | 3.77 | 4.15 | 1.9 |
| Scott Feldman | 153 | 0.305 | 69.0 % | 4.55 | 4.49 | 1.2 |
The question comes can the Astros stay pat with what they have? Do they need to find a replacement for Scott Kazmir? Who should they target?