The Astros could be this year’s Cubs. Like the Theo Epstein-run club, Houston’s homegrown talents are ripe enough to go deep in the postseason, which they barely missed last season after a slow 7-17 start. This time around, the Astros have a scary good batting lineup that features the reigning American League batting champion in Jose Altuve, George Springer, and rising star Carlos Correa. That core will get boost from the arrival of veterans Carlos Beltran and Josh Reddick, who should be able to provide veteran presence. Houston, however, needs a bounce back season from Dallas Keuchel and the rest of the starting rotation that had a 4.37 ERA in 2016.
Second Tier: Seattle Mariners (+225), Texas Rangers (+225)
Per TopBet’s futures odds, the Mariners and the Rangers are in a tight battle for the division’s second place with identical +225 odds. The Mariners is going to be noticeably fast on the base paths this year with the front office adding speedsters Jean Segura and Jarrod Dyson in the lineup. This speed should add another dimension to Seattle’s offense that relied a lot on the hitting and power of Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz.
Felix Hernandez is a prime candidate to rebound after going just 11-8 with a 2.82 ERA last year and he’ll get help in the rotation from newcomer Drew Smyly. As for the Rangers, they are relying on their top two starters in Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels to carry the pitching that still appears to be lacking in depth. Texas’ hitting has pop with veterans Carolos Gomez, Shin-Soo Choo, and Adrian Beltre lending experience to a group that has Rougned Odor, Jonathan Lucroy, and Nomar Mazara.
Long shots: Los Angeles Angels (+1,000), Oakland Athletics (+2,000)
Because baseball doesn’t operate like basketball in which a singular all-world talent is enough to make a team a legitimate title contender, Mike Trout and the Angels aren’t expected by a lot of folks to even win the division.
The club lost 88 games last year and didn’t make head-turning additions so it looks like the immediate future of the Angels will follow almost the same narrative as last year’s. That said, Fangraphs.com has the Halos projecting a nine-win improvement despite the Angels’ boring offseason. Perhaps that’s a testament to the superior baseball talents of Trout and the underrated role of the supposedly improved defense that comes with new additions Cameron Maybin, Ben Revere, and Danny Espinosa.
The Athletics, meanwhile, have their long odds to win the division aligned properly with Fangraphs; projections, which predict the club finishing last in the AL West with a 78-84 record. There is talent on the team but not enough to get neither fans nor experts excited about its 2017 campaign. Sonny Gray could be on the rebound but there’s little life behind him in the rotation, which is likely going to be a season-long problem for the A’s.
Writer’s Prediction:
Houston wins the division with the Angels surprisingly placing second.
