9. The Astros will win the American League pennant
Houston stumbled out of the blocks in 2016, going 7-17 in April. Realistically, that kept the Astros out of playoff contention, but they did recover well. From May 1 on, Houston went 77-61, which is a 90-72 pace for a full season.
The Astros are loaded with talent. Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa are a part of one of baseball’s best infields, even with a questionable first base position. If Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran remain healthy at catcher and DH respectively, Evan Gattis could become more of a full time first baseman, removing a good portion of that question mark.
The outfield isn’t quite as strong, but it’s certainly not a weakness. That’s led by George Springer, but Josh Reddick and Nori Aoki won’t weigh anyone down on the corners.
Top to bottom, Dallas Keuchel, Colin McHugh, Lance McCullers, Charlie Morton, and Mike Fiers could be the American League’s best rotation. Luke Gregerson and Ken Giles are more than competent at closing out games.
Look for the Astros to battle it out with the Indians and Red Sox for American League supremacy. But in the end, the edge goes to Houston.