Best 50 — 2017 Houston Astros (#43)
A sign-stealing scandal stains Houston’s drive to a world title
This newsletter is devoting several months to an examination of past greatness. It’s focusing on history’s top 50 ballclubs — collectively known as the Best 50 — as determined by my new book, Baseball’s Best (and Worst) Teams. We’ve reached No. 43 on the all-time list, the 2017 Houston Astros.
Here’s a quick boilerplate explanation that I’m appending to every story in this series:
I compiled the Best 50 by analyzing 2,544 major-league teams from 1903 to 2024. Those clubs have been ranked by their team scores (TS), which are plotted on a 100-point scale. (A given club’s all-time percentile is the percentage of the other 2,543 teams that it outperformed.)
See my book for an explanation of my TS calculations. The book also offers separate breakdowns of the best and worst clubs for every decade and franchise, comprehensive profiles of the Best 50 (including position-by-position lineups and much more information than you’ll find in this newsletter), and similar summaries of the 10 worst teams of all time.
Now on to today’s profile.
Facts and figures
Team: 2017 Houston Astros
Team score: 85.289 points
All-time rank: 43 of 2,544
All-time percentile: 98.35%
Season record: 101-61 (.623)
Season position: First place in American League West
Final status: World champion
Season summary
The Astros were the worst team in the majors between 2011 and 2013. They suffered 324 losses during those three dismal seasons; no other franchise endured more than 291. Yet Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow remained optimistic. “The darkest hour is right before the sun rises,” he said, “and I think that’s where we are right now.”
Luhnow’s faith was rewarded in 2015 and 2016, when the Astros finally edged above .500. Optimism ran high in 2017. “The whole team is strong,” said pitcher Charlie Morton. “I just don’t see how we’re not set up to win.”
And win they did. Houston rocketed to an 11-game lead in the American League West by Memorial Day, expanding the margin to 21 by the end. The Astros topped both leagues in scoring (5.53 runs per game) and batting average (.282), accomplishments tainted by later revelations that the club had violated baseball’s rules by using a video feed to steal opponents’ signals. (The scandal did not affect the Astros’ rank in my all-time standings. See my book for an explanation.)
Baseball’s Best (and Worst) Teams
Get the complete lowdown on the 50 greatest (and 10 weakest) clubs of all time
Postseason summary
The Astros defeated the Red Sox easily in the American League Division Series. Their remaining postseason challenges were more difficult.
The Yankees pushed Houston to the brink of elimination in the AL Championship Series, forcing the Astros to win the final two contests to advance. The World Series also went the distance, with Houston defeating Los Angeles, 5-1, in Game Seven. Center fielder George Springer led the Astros with five homers and seven RBIs against the Dodgers.
Los Angeles pitcher Clayton Kershaw notched 11 strikeouts in Game One, but only two in Game Five. The difference, he insisted, was the location. The first game was played in Dodger Stadium, while the rematch took place in Houston, where the Astros had easy access to their video feed. “They didn’t swing and miss,” Kershaw said, “because they knew what was coming.”
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Lineup summary
Five-foot-six Jose Altuve was one of baseball’s smallest players. He was also one of the best.
Altuve already owned two American League batting crowns, and his 2017 average of .346 earned a third. The diminutive second baseman was an outlier in a sport dominated by broad-shouldered sluggers. “As a scout, you have to give credit to a little guy, too,” he said. “See what they have. Who knows?”
Shortstop Carlos Correa, the AL’s Rookie of the Year in 2015, batted .315 in 2017. He was still only 22 years old. “It’s not a secret that he’s going to be one of the best,” said Altuve. Four Astros hit more than 20 homers and drove home more than 80 runs: Correa, Altuve, center fielder George Springer, and utilityman Marwin Gonzalez.
Dallas Keuchel had struggled to a 21-27 record in his first three seasons with the Astros, only to blossom into a Cy Young Award winner in 2015. “He’s our ace. He’s our guy,” said A.J. Hinch. Keuchel rewarded his manager’s confidence with a 14-5 record and a sparkling 2.90 ERA in 2017.
But the Astros still needed additional pitching, so they dealt for Justin Verlander on August 31. The superstar, who had been with the Tigers since 2005, started five games for Houston and won them all. He added four postseason victories.