Can Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence and Wandy Rodriguez keep rising?
There’s no reason to believe either Bourn, Pence or Rodriguez will take a step back next season as long as they’re healthy. Bourn hit .285, led the National League with 61 steals and won a Rawlings Gold Glove in his second season as a starter in Houston and figures only to get better with maturity. Pence made his first All-Star team in his third season with the Astros and is still only 26 years old. Because Rodriguez, who will be 31 on Opening Day, is a little bit older and has more mediocrity under his belt than success, he’s not as much of a given to improve. But he has slowly matured into what he did last season, going 14-12 with a 3.02 ERA. He finally learned to keep his emotions in check and trusted his pitches, which made him the Astros’ best pitcher. Is Bud Norris the real deal? The Astros certainly hope so. At this point, Norris will likely begin the season as the No. 3 starter, which is no small job on a veteran team that thinks it can contend. In his Major League debut last s
