The Houston Astros were able to get their veteran manager Dusty Baker his first World Series championship as skipper last season. MLB team stats show Houston blew away the competition, finishing with a 106-56 record on its way to a second World Series title.
The Astros will once again go into this season with high expectations. Anyone looking at Houston Astros season odds will see that they have made the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons. That success has been especially high over the past few seasons. Houston has made the World Series twice and lost in the American League Championship Series in the other season.
Here is a look at some MLB odds on what to expect from Houston this season.
Over/under and playoff odds
Looking at Houston Astros season odds will show that Houston is once again expected to get to the playoffs with little struggle. The Astros are -2000 to earn a spot in the American League playoffs and are -180 to win the division. Seattle (+310) is expected to put the most pressure on Houston.
Texas (+800) and Los Angeles Angels (+900) are expected to contend for third place. Oakland (+2000) is expected to have another lost season as the franchise attempts to figure out its future plans. The Astros have had their over/under set at 97.5 games.
Houston has won 100 or more games in four of the past six seasons. The Astros did so last year behind a number of award winners, including Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, who signed with the New York Mets in the offseason, Gold Glovers Jeremy Pena and Kyle Tucker, along with Silver Sluggers Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez.
The case for Yordan for MVP
Winning the AL MVP isn’t going to be an easy task for any player. The Angels have plenty of starpower out west, with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout garnering high attention for piling up stats. If Los Angeles can ever get its act together and win games, Ohtani (+220) and Trout (+800) will always be among the top candidates for making MLB picks.
Alvarez has the firepower to grab the attention of voters. Alvarez finished third in MVP voting last season and was an All-Star for the first time, smashing a career-high 37 home runs last season. Yordan Alvarez also hit .306 and had an OBP of .406. He also contributed 29 doubles and two triples.
Alvarez can be found as high as +1400 at some books and may be worth a flier to win the award. Houston Astros season odds show that they will once again have a strong offense that will give Alvarez a chance to drive in runs.
Valdez, Javier among top 15 Cy Young season favorites
Framber Valdez (+2000) finished fifth in Cy Young voting last season. Few pitchers have been able to eat innings like Valdez did last season. He led the league by throwing three complete games and threw 201.1 innings last season. Valdez finished with a 17-6 record and a 2.82 ERA.
Valdez also finished with a career-high 194 strikeouts. If he can get closer to 20 wins and sharpens up some metrics, he is an interesting candidate. Cristian Javier (+2500) is also on the radar. Javier finished 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA last season. Houston Astros odds show Javier struck out 194 batters in 148.2 innings of work, but will need to see some other metrics come down to seriously compete for the award.
Astros hope to join elite company
Free agency, combined with many other factors, make it hard to keep any competitive roster together for long stretches of time. People making Houston Astros season predictions will want to know if they can become the first team since the New York Yankees, who did it from 1998 to 2000, to win consecutive World Series.
The Astros currently sit at +650 to bring home the trophy, which is among the favorites, along with the New York Yankees (+650), Los Angeles Dodgers (+750), and New York Mets (+750). Houston certainly has the talent to do it.
While the Astros will miss Verlander, he was getting up there in age and may not have been as productive this season. Houston star infielder Jose Altuve is still playing at a high level. At the same time, the Astros are certainly worth a bet at +600 or better before the season starts. That price will quickly drop as the season wears on.
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