The Houston Astros are in last place in the N.L. Central with a 33-53 record, which has them 15.5 games behind the Pirates. The Astros are likely going to get a lot worse before things start to get better for them down the road. Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impacts in the first half of the 2012 season, in my opinion:

Team MVP: Jose Altuve - 22-year old righty swinging 2B Jose Altuve made it to the All-Star team as the Astros’ lone representative and he deserved the honor. Altuve played in 79 games for the Astros in the first half of the 2012 season and he was 96 of 317 (.303 avg, .783 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 5 homers, 27 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. The Astros hope that Altuve finishes strongly in 2012.

Biggest Surprise: Lucas Harrell - 27-year old righty starting pitcher Lucas Harrell was a longshot this spring to win a job in the Astros’ rotation. He not only won a job, but he has pitched pretty solid baseball for them this year. Harrell has started 17 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 7-6 with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

Biggest Disappointment: Brian Bogusevic - 28-year old lefty swinging Brian Bogusevic has been the starting RF for the Astros, but he isn’t doing much with the bat. He has played in 81 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 53 of 244 (.217 avg, .636 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 6 homers, 21 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. The Astros could look to replace Bogusevic in RF if he doesn’t start hitting better in the second half of the 2012 season.

The Astros went 2-1 against the Rockies last weekend as they outscored them 13-10. Wandy Rodriguez, Bud Norris and Lucas Harrell combined to go 1-0 with a 0.89 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in their first three starts of the season. Brett Myers only pitched in 1 game and he saved it despite giving up a hit and a walk in his 1 scoreless inning of work. The Astros only hit .240 with a .770 OPS last weekend. J.D. Martinez was 4 for 12 (.333 avg, 1.000 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs and Carlos Lee was 3 for 12 (.250 avg, .833 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs as they both hit well so far this year. Travis Buck was 2 for 2 off the bench for the Astros last weekend with a double, a triple and a run scored. The Astros will be hosting the 0-3 Atlanta Braves the next few days.

The Astros finished the first half of the 2011 season with a 30-62 record which has them in last place in the N.L. Central, 19 games behind the Cardinals and Brewers. The Astros are also 24 games behind the Braves for the Wild Card. I look for the Astros to be selling off some veterans by the trade deadline at the end of this month. The second half of the season could be very depressing for Astros’ fans. Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impact in the first half of 2011 for the Astros:

Team MVP: 28-year old righty swinging RF Hunter Pence has without a doubt been the MVP for the Astros so far this year. Pence has played in 86 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 114 for 353 (.323 avg, .860 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 11 homers, 60 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. It would be terrible if the Astros traded Pence later this month but I would put nothing past them right now.

Biggest Surprise: 26-year old righty reliever Mark Melancon has taken over as the closer with Brandon Lyon done for the season. Melancon has pitched in 42 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 5-2 with 6 saves, a 3.07 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. The Astros hope he keeps up the good work because a lot of the Astros’ wins in the second half are likely going to be close games.

Biggest Disappointment: 28-year old lefty starting pitcher J.A. Happ has been pathetic so far this year. Happ has started 18 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 3-11 with a 5.76 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. He has walked 53 batters in his first 100 innings for the Astros but he has always had bad control, but this season it’s hurting him.

The Houston Astros were swept by the Phillies over the weekend. They were outscored 21-11 by the Phillies as they only hit .231 with a .619 OPS. The Astros should have won on Opening Day but Brandon Lyon brought in a gas can with him in the 9th inning. That ruined an awesome start by Brett Myers. Wandy Rodriguez and Bud Norris were awful behind Myers in the starting rotation over the weekend. The Astros need the starting pitchers to get back on track because they aren’t likely going to be scoring a ton of runs in 2011.

The Houston Astros are 36-53 on the season which has them in 5th place in the N.L. Central, 12.5 games behind the Reds. A lot of things have went sour for the Astros this sesaon, but not everything. Here is a look at some surprises and disappointments so far this season:

Pleasant Surprises: The Astros have always liked Jeff Keppinger as a utility man but he is doing a good job as the starting 2B this year. Keppinger has played in 82 games for the Astros this season and he is 90 of 317 (.284 avg, .720 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 3 homers, 31 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Astros are very happy with 29-year old Brett Myers who has been solid for them this year. He has started 18 games for the Astros this year and he is 6-6 with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. 30-year old righty Matt Lindstrom beat out Brandon Lyon for the closer’s job and he has been very solid. Lindstrom has pitched in 35 games (0 starts) for the Astros this year and he is 2-1 with 21 saves, a 2.80 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. 25-year old righty swinging rookie 3B Chris Johnson has really been solid since given the starting job. He has played in 24 games for the Astros this year and he is 22 of 78 (.282 avg, .685 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 8 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

Disapointments: 35-year old righty swinging 3B Pedro Feliz was supposed to flash good leather while providing some power. That has not been the case in 2010. Feliz has played in 74 games for the Astros this year and he is 56 of 255 (.220 avg, .546 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 3 homers and 26 RBIs. He has lost his starting job to Chris Johnson. 34-year old switch hitting 2B Kazuo Matsui was supposed to start at 2B but he was so awful the Astros released him. Matsui played in 27 games for the Astros this year and he was 10 of 71 (.141 avg, .352 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. The Astros though 31-year old Wandy Rodriguez turned the corner last season as he was very good in 2009. But he has started 18 games for the Astros in 2010 and he is 6-11 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. 30-year old righty reliever Jeff Fulchino was coming off solid 2009 for the Astros. But in 2010, Fulchino has been awful! Fulchino has pitched in 29 games (0 starts) for the Astros this year and he is 0-0 with a 6.83 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP.

The Astros are off to a 3-9 start this season which has them in last place in the N.L. Central, 5 games behind the Cardinals. The Astros have been outscored 58-27 this season as they just can’t hit the ball right now. With Lance Berkman returning tomorrow maybe he will give the offense a shot in the arm. The Astros have six home games this week playing 3 against the Marlins and the Pirates.

The Astros went 0-6 in the first week of the 2010 season as they were outscored 37-13! They didn’t hit or pitch well and if things don’t start to change soon it’s going to be a long, long year for the Astros. The Astros are only hitting .222 with a .548 OPS so far this season and that is downright pathetic. It doesn’t get any easier this week for the Astros as they travel to St. Louis (3 games) and Chicago (3 games).

The Astros are now 0-4 on the season as they have been outscored 26-6! They aren’t hitting (.204 avg, .502 OPS) or pitching (6.25 ERA, 1.89 WHIP) well this season. They can’t blame everything on not having Lance Berkman to start the season as no one is hitting the ball well except Jeff Keppinger. The pitching staff has also been horrible often looking like they are putting the ball on a tee. The Astros are by far the worst team I have seen to this point in 2010 and they need to get things turned around or it’s going to be a very, very long season.

The Astros should find a way to just pitch lefty starter Wandy Rodriguez at home. At home, Rodriguez has started 15 games and he is 6-3 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. On the road however Rodriguez has been horrible. In 14 road starts, Rodriguez is 2-10 with a 7.31 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. Overall, Rodriguez has started 29 games and he is 8-13 with a 4.83 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. With baseball getting specialized so much the Astros should find a way to limit Rodriguez to starting home games. The Astros are still in last place in the National League Central with a 65-86 record which has them 13.5 games behind the Cubs & Brewers. The more important thing for right now is that the Astros are still 1 game behind the Pirates for fifth place.

It’s quite unbelievable that the Astros have sunk to the bottom of the National League Central. The Astros are currently 63-81 which has them 11 games out of first place. But the more shocking thing is that they are 1/2 a game behind the Pirates and 2 games behind the Reds! That’s definately why heads were rolling in the front office and in the dugout. The Winds of Change will be blowing hard in Houston this off-season.