2. Houston Astros, 95-51, 1st in the AL West (ranked 3rd last week)
With a 9.5 game lead over the Athletics, the Astros are expected to clinch their division in the next week, but the real question is whether or not they or the Yankees will take the top seed in the American League. The pitching is some of the best in the league, but with Aaron Sanchez hitting the IL for the rest of the season and Brad Peacock still out with knee issues, Houston does have some questions about depth beyond Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole.
But the offense is humming as Alex Bregman continues to put together an MVP-like season, while young bats like Yordan Alvarez smoke baseballs out of Minute Maid Park. Probably the most fun team to watch right now in baseball which should make October a fun month in Houston.
1. New York Yankees, 95-51, 1st in the AL East (ranked 1st last week)
The Yankees have been the most resilient team in baseball all season, overcoming a slow start to the season and currently having 15 players on their IL at the moment. their current lineup doesn’t feature one player that doesn’t have an OPS over .800, their bench is full of players that have had extended periods of time starting to this season, postseason baseball for the Yankees may come as a reward after being dealt tough hand after tough hand and still finding ways to win.
The one potential flaw to the Yankees would be their starting pitching, while still one of the better groups in baseball, lacks a true ace in their rotation. Masahiro Tanaka and JA Happ have some postseason experience, but the only battle-tested postseason arm is CC Sabathia who is set to return from the IL this week. But their bullpen is the best in baseball with tons of arms to choose from with closing experience that can be deployed in multiple ways by manager Aaron Boone.