"The Astros went out this offseason and got a new shortstop and a new second baseman.

They got a new pitcher to compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. They got a new hitting coach. They got a new video board and a new luxury seating section. And by year's end, they might have a new owner.

Compelling stories all, but if the Astros go from 76-86 to contention, it's likely the biggest reason will be none of the above. The fix is going to have to come from within. It must be the big guy.

Carlos Lee reported to spring training Sunday eager to put behind him a miserable 2010 season that saw his numbers reach career lows and his value drop below the statistical replacement level - that of a hypothetical Class AAA call-up or waiver find.

"I know I can be better than the season I had last year, and I'm capable of doing a lot to help this team," Lee, 34, said.

His position defensively is uncertain - he'll get work in left field, where the Astros want to put him, and at first base, where he'll go if Brett Wallace cannot demonstrate major league readiness.

His position offensively is going to be somewhere in the middle and at the heart of the Astros' plans.

"Carlos could be the 21st-century version of Tony Perez - an RBI machine," general manager Ed Wade said, adding Lee admitted to him during the 2010 horror story that he wasn't where he wanted to be. "If Carlos isn't where he wanted to be, we're not going to be where we wanted to be."

And as he went last year, so too did the Astros. Lee he got off to a brutal start, hitting .183 in April and .224 in May before finding something resembling his usual form in June when the team started turning. Still, the results weren't pretty."