Why Justin Verlander Was Right Yesterday

Yesterday after his first official workout at Astros camp, starting pitcher, Justin Verlander, told the media something that might have turned some heads, but was full of nothing but the truth. Verlander stated, " I think we're the team to beat. I think the American League goes through us."

When you first read that quote, you might think that Verlander either is being too cocky or that the game isn't played on paper, and while the fact that the game isn't played on paper is true, the statement that the "American League goes through the [Astros]" couldn't be more truthful.

Remember, who won the World Series last year? Oh, thats right, it was the Houston Astros. Remember who acquired, Gerrit Cole, this winter to strengthen something that was already strong? The Houston Astros did. Before acquiring Gerrit Cole, their starting rotation was deep, but after the acquisition of Cole, their rotation is extremely deep. When Colin McHugh, who would be a number three starter on the average team is listed as Houston's seventh starter, you know that rotation is stacked!

Part of the Astros success last season was due in part to their pitching both from the starting rotation and the bullpen. The Astros had the sixth best rotation ERA in the league last season finishing with a 4.03 ERA over 899.2 IP. In addition, Houston's starting rotation locked down a 15.2 WAR last year, good enough for 6th place in the MLB behind the Dodgers, and a 9.31 strikeout-per-9 ratio putting them fifth in the league.

Now that Gerrit Cole has been added to the mix, he doesn't have to be the guy that he was with the Pirates and can settle into a role that is much more comfortable for him behind Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander. At this point, you could basically flip a coin as to whether Keuchel is number one or Verlander gets that nod come Opening Day. In addition, with the analytical models that the Astros have built up, that will hopefully help Cole out tremendously as well. Once Justin Verlander was acquired by the Astros at the waiver deadline last August, he was able to fine tune his mechanics and turn back into the stud that he was early on in his career in Detroit.

Another starter that will likely get overlooked this season down in Houston is right-hander, Charlie Morton. Morton impressed many folks during the World Series when he pitched to the tune of a 1.74 ERA over 10.1 IP in a high pressured environment. Morton, who just turned 34 last November, will be with the Astros for one more season before hitting free agency, but easily had his best season of his 10-year big league career last season. From an innings standpoint, Morton finished with the lowest ERA of his career (3.62 over 146.2 IP) and had a 10.0 strikeout-per-9 ratio over that span. If Morton is anything like he was in the World Series last year, then he is going to be a tremendous asset among the Astros deep starting rotation.

In addition, another reason why Justin Verlander is right is because of the star studded lineup that the Astros possess. You can't overlook the greatness of second baseman, Jose Altuve, the talent that shortstop, Carlos Correa, brings to the field everyday, the agility and athleticism that outfielder, George Springer, displays daily or the value that a utility player like, Marwin Gonzalez, brings to the ballpark every single day. It seems like every time you look up, one of these four players are making the highlight reel somewhere and making a superb play or doing something to help lead their team to a win.

In fact, you could easily make the argument, that the Astros have the best middle infield in the MLB right now. Jose Altuve has recorded at least 200 hits in the past four seasons and had a .346 batting average last season over 662 plate appearances, which happened to be the highest of his big league career. In addition, he has plenty of accolades to go along with his impressive level of play on the field including being named AL MVP last year along with being crowned an All-Star 5 different times, winning four Silver Slugger Awards over the past four seasons, and a Gold Glove in 2015.

For Carlos Correa, look no further than the impressive offensive stats that he continues to put up year in and year out. Even after missing time last year with a torn ligament in his left thumb, Correa still has a 135 wRC+ over the past four seasons, tying him with Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for first place among shortstops. Correa also has a 13.7 WAR over that span, good enough for fourth place among shortstops, and a .498 slugging percentage over 1,573 plate appearances.

Beyond Altuve and Correa, there is even more greatness among the Astros lineup. Look no further than the 85.9 Offensive rating that George Springer has put up over the past four seasons putting him third among outfielders in the American League or the 14.6 WAR he's recorded over that time. Furthermore, what about Marwin Gonzalez and the tremendous amount of versatility that he provides to AJ Hinch and his entire coaching staff on a daily basis? Over the past four seasons, Gonzalez has played all over the diamond and finished last season with a career high .530 slugging percentage over 515 plate appearances.

If all of these things still doesn't convince you as to why the American League runs through Houston, then you still haven't learned about the Astros bullpen. Houston's bullpen finished last season with a .234 Batting Average Against, good enough for 6th place in the league, and led the league with 662 strikeouts over 546.1 IP.

A big part of the Astros bullpen success last season was due in part to closer, Ken Giles. Since being acquired two years ago by the Astros, Giles has an 11.92 strikeout-per-9 ratio, a 2.39 FIP, and has recorded 49 saves in 58 save opportunities. For a closer with those types of stats, Giles often gets overlooked even though he was a big reason that the Astros concluded last year with a World Series Championship.

Beyond Giles, another huge weapon for AJ Hinch and his staff in the bullpen, is right-hander, Chris Devenski. Devenski could easily match up with the best-of-the-best relievers in the league after putting up a 2.38 ERA over 189.0 IP the past two seasons. Devenski is able to pitch in a long-man relief role and really started to make a name for himself at the beginning of last season when he finished the month of April with a 2.16 ERA in 16.2 IP.

While the Astros bullpen was already deep to begin with, Jeff Luhnow and Company strengthened it this winter by inking two free agents to deals. The first was righty, Joe Smith, who the team signed to a two-year, $15 million dollar deal, while the second was righty, Hector Rendon, who was inked to a two-year, $8.5 million dollar contract. Sure, the Astros could still use another left-handed reliever to go along with Tony Sipp, but they should be able to get by just fine with Sipp. Joe Smith was a tremendous asset last season for the Blue Jays and Indians, while Rendon had a nice 5-year track record with the Chicago Cubs.

For anyone who still has a hard time agreeing with what Justin Verlander said at camp yesterday, will just have to wait for this season to play out and for the Astros to show their true potential. Sure, the Astros might be overshadowed by the Yankees, since New York acquired slugger, Giancarlo Stanton, but do not sleep on this Astros team. They are a dedicated bunch, ready to have similar success as they did last season, and are even stronger now after the acquisitions they made this winter. In addition, how can you not like the potential that Justin Verlander has over the course of a full season with the organization instead of just a month?