Yesterday, pitchers and catchers reported to the Astros Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach. Thus, the 2020-21 off-season—both the shortest and longest in history--ended. We can now turn fully toward the 2021 season and assess where the Astros stand.
I will a claim that seems obvious to me yet feels controversial based on the conversations I’ve had with Astros fans this off-season: the Astros are the favorites to win the American League West.
That the Astros are division favorites is confirmed by the various projections systems used by analytic websites.