As the 2016 season approaches, I will be taking a look at the 10 teams with the best odds of winning the World Series and examining three reasons why each team may ultimately hoist the trophy. Today’s team:

Astros (18/1 odds to win World Series): Two years ago George Springer was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with a headline that said, “Your 2017 World Series Champs.” The Astros are certainly capable of winning the World Series in 2017, but they’ll be capable of winning it all in 2016 as well. Houston utilized a wealth of young talent in 2015 to register a winning season for the first time since 2008 and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005. In 2016, the team looks poised to take another step forward.

Young roster: No team wants to string together six straight losing seasons the way the Astros did from 2009-14, but the team made the most of the situation by acquiring plenty of young talent. Most notably, the Astros selected Carlos Correa with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 Draft. But the team also selected George Springer and Lance McCullers in 2012. Not to mention, they hit the jackpot selecting Dallas Keuchel in the seventh round of the 2009 Draft.

2015 carryover: The Astros struggled a bit down the stretch, going 37-34 in the second half and 11-16 in September. However, playing meaningful baseball late in the season wasn’t something the Astros were used to. But having gone through that in 2015, the club will be better equipped to handle the late-season grind in 2016. Learning how to win a championship is a process and the Astros took a big step last season.

Correa, Altuve, Gomez: Strong teams are built up the middle and it’s hard to get much better up the middle than the Astros. Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and Carlos Gomez make up a pretty good trio and should provide Houston with plenty of highlight reel plays in 2016. Correa, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year Award winner, proved that he’s ready to handle life in the Majors. Over 99 games, the 21-year old hit. 279 with 22 homers and 68 RBIs. Altuve has been an All-Star three of the last four seasons and has 200 or more hits in each of the last two seasons. Gomez struggled a bit once he was traded, but that could simply be a sign of pressing to try and impress his new team. Gomez will enter 2016 acclimated with Houston, and playing in a hitter-friendly park may help him return to being an All-Star caliber player. Throw Gold Glove Award winner Dallas Keuchel in the mix every fifth day as well and it sure looks like a winning formula.