Last season, the Houston Astros were dominant in the postseason, winning the World Series with an 11-2 record in the postseason. It took them until the World Series itself to lose a postseason game a season ago, in one of the more impressive playoff runs of all-time.
This year, the Astros will aim to repeat as champions, and to solidify themselves as one of the great dynasties in the history of baseball.
Check out MyBookie’s Astros betting odds and predictions for 2023 MLB Season.
Houston Astros: 2023 Season Prediction
Back To Back?
The elephant in the room for the Astros this season is whether or not they can do the unlikely and win a second straight World Series crown. They are the favorites to win the championship in the futures markets going into this year, which means both high expectations and high pressure to perform. The question for the Astros will be whether they can deliver on those expectations while blocking out the pressure they are facing.
Working in Houston’s favor is the fact that pressure has not seemed to bother them throughout their recent history with their current nucleus. Time and time again, the Astros have found timely hitting that other teams have lacked with their own stars. Because of that, there is no reason to believe that the Astros cannot once again reach the top of the mountain in Major League Baseball.
Young Pitching Takes Spotlight
One of the major headlines for the Astros going into this season is the departure of Justin Verlander from their starting rotation. Verlander is getting up there in age, but has been a key component to the recent championship runs in Houston. Despite a poor first playoff start against Seattle this past postseason, Verlander did not lose a decision in the 2022 playoffs, and his absence leaves the Astros rotation in an interesting spot.
Framber Valdez will become the number one starter in Houston going into this season, which is certainly not a bad thing. Valdez went 17-6 last season and posted an ERA of 2.82, which was just outside of the top-10 in the league. But the question for the Astros will be whether the loss of Verlander will hurt when the games matter most in October.
Astros Season Prediction: World Series Winners
It is pretty clear that the Houston Astros are capable of overcoming any adversity that comes their way, after surviving their sign-stealing scandal and mounting comeback after comeback on the field in the playoffs. They have a legitimate MVP candidate in Yordan Alvarez, and they have plenty to fall back on in their rotation, even without Justin Verlander around. Houston is a justified favorite to win the World Series this season.
Houston will likely be the last team standing in MLB this season, as they simply have too much hitting for opponents to overcome. Even in October, when pitching moves to the forefront, the Astros simply have too many weapons for even the best pitching staffs to deal with. Expect the Astros to take down the Yankees in the ALCS before downing the Dodgers for the title.
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Houston Astros 2023 Season Provided by MyBookie
Projected Roster
Lineup
Jose Altuve – 2B
Michael Brantley – DH
Alex Bregman – 3B
Yordan Alvarez – LF
Jose Abreu – 1B
Kyle Tucker – RF
Jeremy Pena – SS
Chas McCormick – CF
Martin Maldonado – C
Bench
Korey Lee – C
David Hensley – INF/OF
Mauricio Dubon – INF/OF
Jake Meyers – OF
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Houston Astros
2022 record: 106-56-0, 1st in AL West
2023 projections:
90-72 (FanGraphs), 95-66 (PECOTA)
Rotation
1. Framber Valdez – LHP
2. Cristian Javier – RHP
3. Lance McCullers, Jr. – RHP
4. Luis Garcia – RHP
5. Jose Urquidy – RHP
Bullpen
Ryan Pressly – RHP
Rafael Montero – RHP
Bryan Abreu – RHP
Hector Neris – RHP
Ryne Stanek – RHP
Phil Maton – RHP
Seth Martinez – RHP
Brandon Bielak – RHP
Astros Offseason Transactions
- RP Matt Gage claimed off waivers from Blue Jays
- Cristian Javier agreed to five-year contract (2023-27)
- OF Kyle Tucker agreed to one-year contract (2023), lost arbitration case
- SP/RP Bryan Garcia agreed to Minor League contract (2023)
- RP Ty Buttrey agreed to Minor League contract (2023)
- SP Jose Urquidy agreed to one-year contract (2023), avoiding arbitration
- SP Framber Valdez agreed to one-year contract (2023), avoiding arbitration
- RP Phil Maton agreed to one-year contract (2023), avoiding arbitration
- INF/OF Mauricio Dubon agreed to one-year contract (2023), avoiding arbitration
- RP Blake Taylor agreed to one-year contract (2023), avoiding arbitration
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