2020 Houston Astros Preview: Projected rotation, starting lineup, prospects, win total

2020 Houston Astros Preview: Projected rotation, starting lineup, prospects, win total - SportsLine.com

O/U win total from Willam Hill: 93.5

Key Additions: Lance McCullers (injured)

Key Losses: Jake Marisnick, Gerrit Cole, Hector Rondon, Wil Harris

The Astros were all over the offseason headlines mainly for their role in electronic sign stealing, but also because of their roster losses. They lost Gerrit Cole to the rival Yankees and two main pieces in their bullpen in Rondon and Harris. With that said, the Astros will get Lance McCullers back from Tommy John surgery.

Projected Rotation

1) Justin Verlander

2) Zack Greinke

3) Lance McCullers Jr.

4) Jose Urquidy

5) Josh James/Framber Valdez/Austin Pruitt

This is definitely a new-look Astros starting rotation with the losses of Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley. However, they do get Lance McCullers Jr. back from Tommy John surgery, and Jose Urquidy showed he should be in the rotation last postseason. Houston has a lot of starting pitching prospect depth in the guys named above, in addition to Forrest Whitley and others. They should have no problem finding the right guys.

Fantasy-relevant relievers

Roberto Osuna (projected 45 saves, 2.67 ERA)

Ryan Pressly (projected 5 saves, 2.92 ERA)

Major League-ready prospects

Forrest Whitley (SP), Abraham Toro (3B), Garrett Stubbs (C)

Projected Lineup

1) George Springer

2) Alex Bregman

3) Jose Altuve

4) Michael Brantley

5) Yordan Alvarez

6) Carlos Correa

7) Yuli Gurriel

8) Martin Maldonado

9) Josh Reddick

Houston's lineup will pretty much stay the same as last season, with the addition of Martin Maldonado as the starting catcher. We've seen what this lineup can do, and no, the sign-stealing saga should not affect them offensively. They will rake again this season, maybe even more so since they're motivated.

Key bench players

Aledmys Diaz, Kyle Tucker

Should you go Over or Under Houston's regular-season win total? And what are the top win total plays you can make for 2020? ... Join SportsLine right now to see John Bollman's MLB win total picks, all from the former Blue Jays front-office employee who went 14-1 last year!

2020 Houston Astros Preview: Projected rotation, starting lineup, prospects, win total

SportsLine's John Bollman went 14-1 on his MLB win total bets last season. Here he previews the Astros and tells you whether to go Over or Under 93.5 wins.