Houston Astros: mlb FUTURES & BETTING ODDS

HOUSTON ASTROS 2021 OUTLOOK

The Astros struggled for much of the 2020 campaign, their first without World Series-winning manager A.J. Hinch due to the team's sign-stealing scandal. Veteran Dusty Baker took over, and the team snuck into the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record. But once they reached the postseason, the Astros looked to be their old selves, eliminating the Twins and Athletics and reaching Game 7 of the American League Championship Series before bowing out in a loss to Tampa Bay. Houston nearly pulled off a miracle in that series, becoming only the second team in MLB history to force a Game 7 after falling behind 3-0 in the series. 

Houston did this despite losing Gerrit Cole (to the Yankees via free agency) and Justin Verlander (Tommy John surgery), their two best pitchers from 2019. 

We'll see if Baker can keep the team's winning ways, as a .500 record will not get a playoff berth this year with MLB going back to five playoff teams per league instead of the eight from a season ago, which was a one-time feature due to the shortened 60-game season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 Featured Players

One of the biggest questions on offense will be whether Jose Altuve will regress (he hit .219 last season) or show more life as he did in the playoffs (five home runs in 11 games), but he did make some key errors that cost Houston two games in the ALCS to Tampa Bay. Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman also look to be on a slide, raising questions about whether the sign-stealing scandal inflated their numbers, but first baseman Yuli Gurriel remained strong in 2020. Yordan Alvarez returns after health issues plagued most of his 2020 campaign, and Kyle Tucker will get a chance to star in the outfield after George Springer left for Toronto in free agency. Veteran outfielders Josh Reddick and Michael Brantley are also gone. 

On the pitching side of things, Verlander won't be available until around the All-Star break at the earliest, so 36-year-old Zack Greinke will serve as the ace in the final year of his contract. Lance McCullers Jr. hasn't reached his potential since his Tommy John surgery, so Houston will hope for improvement from him, and Framber Valdez, Jose Urquidy, and Cristian Javier and part of a next wave of Astros starting pitchers. Ryan Pressly and his filthy curveball is the obvious choice for saves in the ninth inning.

Bet on the Houston Astros! Houston Astros Odds for 2021

The Astros have the best odds among American League West teams to win the World Series, but they are somewhat long at 22/1, which is by far their highest odds in the last five years. A bet on the Houston Astros to win the American League sits at 10/1, which is tied with Toronto for the fourth-best odds in the AL. The Houston Astros odds to capture the AL West crown is +130, nearly identical to defending division champion Oakland. 

Houston Astros Logo, Uniform & Stadium History

The Astros had success in the early 1980s and late 1990s/early 2000s, but this has been their best run in franchise history. Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott helped Houston to the NLCS in 1986 before losing to the Mets, and that was their last playoff appearance until a run of four division titles in five years from 1997-2001. Problem is for Houston, they could not beat the Atlanta Braves and didn't win one playoff series in that span despite having the "Killer Bs" of Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Derek Bell, and Lance Berkman, along with pitcher Roy Oswalt and closer Brad Lidge. The team added Roger Clemens and reached the 2005 World Series but were swept by the White Sox. After three seasons of 100 or more losses in the early part of last decade, manager A.J. Hinch and the team's young corps matured to reach the playoffs in five of the last six seasons, including a World Series title in 2017 and run to Game 7 of the Fall Classic in 2019 before losing to Washington.

After playing their early years in the Astrodome, the Astros have called Minute Maid Park home since 2000, a hitter-friendly park that features a tall wall in left field and train tracks. A train scoots across for every Astros home run. The field also had a hill with a flagpole in the middle of a deep centerfield, but that was removed due to injury concerns. 

After having a cream and navy blue look for the 1990s, the Astros switched back to their original logo of an H with an orange star in the middle. That logo adorns the front of their hats. Their home uniforms are white with "ASTROS" written across the front in navy blue with orange trim. The road grays say "HOUSTON" across the front. There are alternate orange tops and navy blue tops as well. 

2020 Record: 29-31, Second Place in American League West (Lost ALCS to Tampa Bay)