Vastly Different Outlooks For the American League’s Last Place Teams

Each of the teams in last place in the American League right now were in contention until the last weekend in 2015. Two of those teams, in fact, actually made the playoffs.

The Houston Astros, who had lost over one hundred games for successive seasons, were the feel-good story for reaching the ALDS of the last year. After one month into 2016, however, they find themselves back in the basement of the A.L. West.

In spite of the disappointing record, the worst thing the Astros could do right now is make changes. They still have a solid lineup of young All-Stars, anchored by 2015 Rookie of the Year Carlos Correa at short and batting champion Jose Altuve at second.

The rotation has struggled almost as much as the offense, but it still has Cy Young Award winner Dallas Kuechel as its ace. The club is likely to turn things around soon on its own, but a last place finish this year certainly does not diminish its great future.

The Minnesota Twins, who were in contention for the Wild Card up until the final weekend last season, are right now in the cellar of the A.L. central. The club has played a little better after losing their first nine games, so there is no reason for the Twins to panic.

Like the Astros, they are stocked with young stars and not quite ready to peak. Even if Minnesota cannot pull itself out of last place this year, they must stick with their current roster because of its bright future. Outfielders Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano are almost certain to become All-Stars, as is pitcher Jose Berrios.

The other last place club in the A.L. is the New York Yankees, who dwell at the bottom of the East division. Unfortunately, their future is not nearly as rosy as their fellow cellar dwellers.

The players in pin stripes are much older than those in Houston and Minnesota, and their fans are traditionally less patient. After a one game postseason exit in 2015, New York was expecting to make a much deeper run this year.

There seems little chance of that happening with the current roster, anchored by past their prime sluggers such as Alex Rodriuez, Mark Teixiera and Carlos Beltran. The Yankees can make trades for some other veterans to assist these hitters, which is their only option if they want to contend with powerhouses like Toronto, Baltimore and Boston.

A smarter idea, one that would perturb most New Yorkers, would be to start a rebuild. The Yanks already have some good young arms to build around, as well as youngsters like shortstop Didi Gregorius and first baseman Greg Bird.

The front office would likely have a difficult time finding trade partners for the three aforementioned highly priced veterans, so limiting their playing time might be a better option in order to allow some youngsters to acquire experience.

It does not happen often, but this year it might actually be better to be a baseball fan in Minnesota or Houston than it is to be one who cheers for the Yankees.

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