The Houston Astros advanced to the American League Division Series on Tuesday with a 3-0 win over the Yankees in New York. The Astros will look to return to the World Series for the first time since 2005 and secure the first world championship in franchise history. They will open a five-game series against the Royals on Thursday in Kansas City.

Here are nine awesome things about the Houston Astros:

1. That guy you just watched

Dallas Keuchel (USA TODAY Sports Images)

Tuesday’s winner Dallas Keuchel led the American League with 232 innings pitched in 2015, then pitched on short rest in the Wild Card game and held the Yankees scoreless for six innings. Keuchel looks like he’ll probably win the AL Cy Young Award this year after fronting a strong pitching staff all season and finishing 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA. He’s quite good.

2. Carlos Gomez’s “rich people conversations

The above story comes from a 2014 Sports Illustrated feature during Gomez’s tenure with the Brewers. It is one of the best stories.

3. Youth

Jonathan Villar and George Springer (PHOTO: Al Bello/Getty Images)

The Astros actually have one of the Majors’ older pitching staffs, but their offensive players were on average the youngest in the game in 2015. It’s an athletic club that plays good defense, steals bases, and hits homers, and the Astros are set up to be good for a long time. In no small part because of…

4. Carlos Correa’s future

(PHOTO: Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images)

The 2012 first-overall draft pick jumped to the Majors in 2015 after only 53 games above Class A ball, and Correa immediately established himself as one of the very best players in the game. As a big-framed, righty-hitting shortstop and former top pick, he draws comparisons to Alex Rodriguez. But only in the good ways. Correa looks like a potential megastar.

5. They’re out here doin’ stuff

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Every MLB team in 2015 employs analytics, but the Astros seem to do it a bit more brazenly and successfully than most. Remember: This is the club the Cardinals hacked. Their frequent defensive shifting will draw some attention in the division series, but the Astros’ quest for competitive advantages goes far beyond that. One example: They signed pitcher Collin McHugh after unsuccessful stints with the Mets and Rockies because they noticed the impressive spin rate on McHugh’s curveball. Now McHugh’s an important part of the Astros’ rotation.

6. Jose Altuve

(Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

Altuve is so good that his diminutive stature is no longer anywhere near the most interesting thing about him. The 5’6″ second baseman led the AL in hits and stolen bases for the second straight year in 2015. He’s also one of baseball’s best and most entertaining defenders at second base.

7. Home runs

(Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports Images)

Home runs rule, and the Astros hit a bunch of them. The club ranked second in the Majors with 230 longballs in the regular season even though no individual player finished the year with more than 27. But five guys hit 20 or more, and practically every dude on the team is apt to hit one out with some frequency.

8. El Oso Blanco

(Thomas B. Shea/USA TODAY Sports Images)

Slugger Evan Gattis has one of baseball’s most fascinating stories: Gattis walked away from baseball and wound up working a series of odd jobs around the country — ski-lift operator, janitor, parking valet, etc. — while struggling with depression and addiction. He returned to the sport playing Division II ball in Texas, where he hit the bejeezus out of the ball until the Braves took him in the 23rd round that same year. Before reaching the Majors in 2013, Gattis spent time playing in the Venezuelan Winter League, where his massive power earned him the nickname “El Oso Blanco,” or “The White Bear.”

9. Smart guys

Stanford products Jason Castro and Jed Lowrie (PHOTO: Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images)

The Astros have so many of the game’s most interesting and intelligent players that it almost seems like the front office could be targeting them intentionally. Brainpower is the new market inefficiency, or something. Maybe it explains why they seem to have so little trouble getting guys to buy into their strategies, or maybe it’s just a coincidence. But there are a lot of smart guys about one way or the other.