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The Texas Rangers are finally being recognized as the AL West favorites over the Houston Astros. With the halfway point of the 2023 MLB season just a few games away, the Rangers have better odds than the Astros to win the division title.
The Rangers have -150 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the AL West. The Astros are second with +170 odds for the division championship. The Los Angeles Angels have +1000 AL West odds, making them a distant third.
The Astros had better AL West odds than the Rangers up until recently, even though Texas has been atop the division for almost the entire 2023 season. Through 78 games, the Rangers have a five-game lead on the Astros. Los Angeles also trails Texas by five games. The Angels have the third-best winning percentage in the division.
It made sense for the Astros to have better odds than the Rangers for the first few months. Houston has been MLB's best team since 2017, winning the most games and two World Series titles during that time. The Astros have won the AL West title in each of the last five 162-game seasons.
Texas last won more than 78 games in 2016. A 68-94 record last year put the Rangers 38 games behind the Astros at the end of the season. Texas lost ace Jacob deGrom to an injury just one month into the season. Even the most optimistic Rangers fan would've had to admit in spring training that Houston was much more likely than Texas to win the 2023 AL West crown.
After three months, the Rangers' success can no longer be attributed to a small sample size. Texas has MLB's second-best run differential. The Rangers have the best offense in baseball and a top-six ERA.
