Hinch up to the challenge of heightened expectations for 2016 Astros
Coming off a breakout season that more or less announced their arrival as a competitive club a bit earlier than some expected, the Houston Astros won't be able to 'sneak up' on anybody in 2016.
The club, which held first place in the AL West for much of the season before making the postseason as the second Wild Card team and going all the way to Game 5 of the Division Series, will be expected to be just as good - if not better - next year.
Earlier in the week, manager A.J. Hinch spoke about his perspective with the club, and the fact that expectations will be even higher next season. As he told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Hinch is looking forward to the team's core coming back in 2016:
As for those heightened expectations, which come after pitcher Dallas Keuchel took home AL Cy Young honors and shortstop Carlos Correa was named Rookie of the Year, Hinch says he's up to the challenge:
"We've been pretty busy, obviously, with all sorts of scenarios, but I think the good news for us is we're dealing from a little bit of a strength when it comes to the core of this group," Hinch said. "It's nice this year having a group, a big group, that we know is coming back."
On Wednesday, word broke that the Astros were trading a package of young players to the Philadelphia Phillies for flame-throwing reliever Ken Giles in their attempts to build a stronger, more shut-down bullpen. It's the team's latest move toward strengthening its roster even more to give Hinch and his coaching staff a chance to have another memorable season in Houston.
"I welcome it," Hinch said. "Our guys didn't get too high or too low last year based on the expectations. So I would expect our focus to be on the field, but it will be a little bit different in spring when teams are looking for Dallas Keuchel coming off a Cy Young season, and Carlos Correa now getting a full season in. With heightened expectations comes a lot more attention."
