Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

Jose Altuve is expected to play mostly in left field this season even though the Astros didn't acquire a clear replacement at second base.

Alex Bregman, a constant presence in the American League playoffs for the past decade, is moving on from the Houston Astros — and perhaps providing exactly what the Boston Red Sox have been missing.