Dan and Chip are taking a look at the Astros’ AL West competition over the next several days. Today, Dan takes a look at the Angels’ chances against a strong western division. LA Angels of Anaheim. Entering their 57th season. Extra points if you can name the 4 different team names they have used since 1961. 2016 Record. 74-88 Finishing 4th in…

Dan and Chip are taking a look at the Astros’ AL West competition over the next several days. Last week, Dan started things off with the Mariners. Today, Chip takes a look at the Athletics’ chances against a toughening western division. Oakland A’s. Entering their 49th season in Oakland. 2016 Record. 69-93, 5th in the AL West…

Hello friends, it’s a Free Blog Weekend, the tradition that began over a decade ago at the Chronicle. Today, you can take the discussion where you want, but I’ll get it started with a few thoughts. How do you like that trade now? The Astros have made quite a few eye-opening, head-scratching trades in the…

Seattle Mariners – Entering their 40th season 2016 Record – 86-76 – 2nd in the AL West Last Playoff Appearance – 2001 World Series Appearances / Wins – 0 / 0 Best Franchise Season – 2001 – 116-46 Worst Franchise Season – 1978 – 56-104 Manager – Former Astros’ Catcher Scott Servais. 2nd season GM…

Going back just a few short years ago, the Astros front office was not too worried about a Plan B for their players, because in so many cases they did not have a Plan A.  This season feels completely different from those days as the team has firm Plan A’s for almost every position and a…

A lot of discussion in this off-season has revolved around how to utilize the Astros’ new offensive toys and specifically about constructing a lineup. Surfing around the ‘net, I found an interesting write-up on stat-driven model, but does not require an advance math degree to understand. There are plenty of other articles on this subject,…