(Yahoo Sports) Sorry, Houston Astros, your World Series trophy is in another castle. Well, that, or maybe Colby Rasmus got there first and is off somewhere throwing an epic celebration party without you.
After snapping a 10-year postseason drought in 2015, the Astros were considered favorites to reach the playoffs again in 2016 and perhaps contend for a World Series crown. Instead, they sputtered out of the gate and never fully recovered, leaving them frustrated as the calendar flipped to October.
Like we’ll do with every eliminated team in our Game Over series, we’re about to examine what went wrong for the Astros, what went right, what’s the best 2016 memory, what they need to fix and what the future might hold.
WHAT WENT WRONG
It’s said a championship can’t be won in April, but it can certainly be lost. The Astros are proof of that, as their 7-17 mark in the opening month set back their entire season. In fact, the Astros were already seven games behind the Texas Rangers entering May, and did themselves no favors in that regard by finishing 4-15 against their in-state rivals. *As a whole, Houston was not particularly bad in any one area. They faced the same injuries and adversities as everyone else, but their self-created hurdles ended up tripping them. (Mark Townsend)
Astros second baseman Jose Altuve continues establishing himself as a superstar in MLB. (AP) WHAT WENT RIGHT
The Astros definitely didn’t want their season to end the way it did, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Jose Altuve pretty much put the entire team on his back and carried them throughout the season. He was the only player on the Astros to finish the year with an average over .300 … or even near .300. There can be no exaggerating how vital Altuve was to his team this season, or how great his season was. His .396 on-base percentage is a career high, as is his .531 slugging percentage. He also hit a career-high 24 home runs, which is nine more than his previous career best of 15. His .338 batting average isn’t the best he’s ever done, though only by .003 — he hit .341 in 2014. And while nearly everyone in the starting rotation took a huge step backwards this year (and the bullpen too, actually), the lone bright spot was Lance McCullers, whose 3.22 ERA exactly matched his 2015 output. (Liz Roscher)
TOP OF THE FLAGPOLE (aka THEIR BEST MOMENT)
Is it any surprise the Astros’ high point came in a game where Jose Altuve was locked in? Houston walloped the Royals 13-5 on June 25 and Altuve led the charge, banging out four hits, two of them doubles and one of them a homer. And really, one of those doubles should have been a triple, but Altuve completely bailed rounding second base. Of course, when he got up he had a huge grin spread across his face. Reminder No. 506 that Jose Altuve is awesome. (Israel Fehr)
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CHANGES THEY NEED TO MAKE
Years of rebuilding have set the Astros up very well for 2017 and beyond. With that in mind, they absolutely shouldn’t panic this winter. What they should do is focus on adding depth, particularly in the starting rotation. They were dinged just enough by injuries there to Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers that it made gaining ground difficult. Of course, a faster start would help too, as their dismal April record proved too much to overcome. (Mark Townsend)
WARP INTO THE FUTURE
Alex Bregman is the real name to watch here, but he exhausted his rookie eligibility in 2016. After a slow start, he seemed to settle in, and looks like a promising young star. Former first-round pick Colin Moran also debuted in 2016, but he may not have a full-time role in 2017 and has a considerably lower ceiling than Bregman.

They could be joined by pitchers Francis Martes and David Paulino.Paulino actually reached the majors in 2016 and made a spot start. Martes spent all season in Double-A, but performed well. With Doug Fister set to be a free-agent, one or both of those players could challenge for a rotation spot next spring. (Chris Cwik)
PREVIOUSLY IN THIS SERIES: Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays,*Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!