A lot of people are picking against the Houston Astros this year because they believe there will be major pullback and under-performance on their part due to the pressure they’ll be under. There’s a lot of people who think Justin Verlander is done and that the Astros will crumble without Gerrit Cole.
But as I look at the other rosters around the American League, particularly in the AL West, I just can’t go against this Astros team because it still stands out to me as better than everybody else’s roster in the division. Plus, they have a strong culture of winning on their side, so they’ll have that edge on teams like the A’s and Angels who should be the closest challengers in the West this year.
I think they find a way to make it happen again this year and they’ll win the AL West. Before the season’s start got suspended, I had them finishing a little more down than we’re accustomed to seeing them at 95-67 with the A’s closing the gap on them. However, I still very much like the Astros to take the division whatever record they may have with the shortened schedule.
Are they good enough to win a championship? I say it all depends on how their younger pitchers step up. But in my mind, this is still one of the favorites to win it all. You shouldn’t pick against the Patriots until they give you a reason to and they’re clearly done. The Houston Astros fall in that same boat.