MLB 2015: Contenders or pretenders
At the halfway mark, some teams are beginning to assert themselves as postseason contenders, while others could fall off soon.
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The first half of the 2015 MLB season has been filled with plenty of twists and turns.
Expected contenders like the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals are beginning to pull away in their respective playoff races. However, nobody could have predicted that the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins would own postseason spots at this point in the season.
It has become clear that the Cardinals, Dodgers, Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals are World Series threats. A couple of others are poised to join that group, while some teams are due for regression in the second half.
Houston Astros: Contender
The future is now for the Astros, who were expected to still be a couple of seasons from contention following one of the most extensive rebuilds in recent memory. Houston has arrived ahead of schedule with a 48-36 record, the second-best mark in the AL.
With a young team that hits a ton of home runs and has plenty of upside, the Astros don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Add in a true ace in Dallas Keuchel plus a much-improved bullpen, and Houston has enough to do some damage in a middling American League.
There are some regression candidates in the second half – Luis Valbuena probably isn’t going to hit another 19 home runs. Still, the Astros just keep calling up talented prospects from a loaded farm system, and have already gotten great performances out of Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers.
Houston could use a starting pitcher and certainly has the resources to acquire a nice piece at the deadline. The Astros may not play .571 ball from here on out, but have built enough of a cushion to make the postseason and could be dangerous beyond that.
Next: Minnesota Twins: Pretender