Houston Astros Rumors: 4 reasons why the team will win the AL West in 2019
By T.A. Mock
The AL West seems weaker than in 2018
In 2018, the AL West turned out to be a surprisingly strong division. The Houston Astros were widely favored to win the division but they had to battle in order to stay on top and ultimately win the division.
The Mariners had retooled and were looking to contend and make the playoffs. They had a powerful offense and some solid pitching and made life difficult for the rest of the division for about 2/3 of the season.
The Athletics, on the other hand, were not expected to do much in 2018. However, they blew all expectations out of the water and wound up being bigger contenders than the Mariners. They were eerily similar to the 2015 Astros who were a surprise contender.
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That being said, the 2019 AL West does not appear to be as strong as it was in 2018. The Mariners shed some of their best players from the past few years. They’re definitely going to miss the likes of James Paxton, Robinson Cano, and Edwin Diaz.
The A’s have almost the exact same squad as last year. So, they could easily give the Houston Astros as many fits in 2019 as they did in 2018. However, I don’t think that will happen. They’re bound for some regression and don’t have any new game changers to flip the script.
The Angels can always be a situational threat because of Mike Trout but there still isn’t enough pieces around him for them to be serious contenders. The Rangers are in full rebuild mode and won’t be competing any time soon. So, at this junction, the path to the AL West crown, opposition-wise, seems to be wide open.