The Houston Astros have enjoyed a considerable amount of success in recent years, as they've won 95 or more games in each of the last four full MLB seasons. However, Houston has lost some of the key pieces from those rosters, such as talented shortstop Carlos Correa, who left the team as a free agent. Still, the club is equipped with a young slugger ready to break out, a strong pitching staff and an experienced manager. They're also coming off of a 95-win season and yet another trip to the World Series, their third in the past five years. This team is talented and has a swagger about them. Will it be enough for the Astros to hold off the likes of the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels, two teams that seemingly got better than they did this offseason? Time will tell. That said, here are four bold predictions for the Astros in the 2022 MLB season.
Astros 2022 Predictions
4. Justin Verlander returns to form
Justin Verlander effectively hasn't pitched in two years. The veteran ace injured his elbow during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020. He then underwent surgery, which caused him to miss the entire 2021 campaign. Pitching for the first time in 20 months, Verlander looked sharp in his first Spring Training outing, striking out a pair of batters through two scoreless innings while touching 95 on the radar gun. It's only preseason, but it's safe to say that the 39-year-old is back, as he was touching around 95 with his fastball during his last healthy season. Back in 2019, Verlander won the Cy Young award for the second time in his career. It's hard to know if he has another season like that left in his arm, though it's also unwise to bet against a future Hall of Famer. However, Verlander certainly has another 15-plus win, sub-3.00 ERA, 200-plus strikeout year left in him. He'll do just that and more in 2022.
3. Yordan Alvarez hits 40-plus homers
This might not sound too bold, though for Alvarez it is. The big slugger has played a full season just once, as he played 87 games as a rookie, then tore his patella tendon in his knee in 2020 and missed the entire pandemic-shortened year. When Alvarez was healthy last year, he showed up big time, posting an .877 OPS while clubbing 33 homers with 104 RBI. The problem with Alvarez is, he isn't much of a defender, meaning that he is mostly planted at the designated hitter spot. Under the old rules, he would miss out on some games against National League opponents, given that the DH was only used in the American League. However, with a universal DH, Alvarez could now see more playing time than ever, health willing. Alvarez flat-out crushes the ball and has a swing built for monster power numbers. With possibly a few more games played and another year to cultivate his sweet swing, Alvarez will swing for the fences like he never has before in the 2022 MLB season. He'll club 40-plus homers easily.
2. Kyle Tucker makes a run at the AL MVP award
Kyle Tucker is a rising star. The 25-year-old showed immense promise as a prospect, hitting 34 homers and stealing 30 bases in his last full minor league season. The Astros didn't quite turn Tucker loose on the basepaths last year, as he stole just 14 bases in 140 games, though he did club 30 homers. With names such as Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., there is clearly no shortage of talent in the AL. However, Tucker will put his name firmly on the map this year with a 30-30 campaign while hitting above .300. He'll be one of the league's best offensive forces as he makes a run at the American League MVP award.
1. The Astros fail to win the division
After all those great things that were predicted about the Astros players, they won't even win the AL West, a division that they've dominated for the last five years? Since 2017, Houston has finished no worse than second place, winning the division four times. However, the Mariners notably picked up some ground, winning 90 games, then going out and adding 2021 Cy Young award-winner Robbie Ray to be their ace while adding a rising star in Jesse Winker. Seattle could very well challenge the Astros for the division title. Given the talent on Houston's roster and the experience of manager Dusty Baker, it's unlikely that the club will miss the playoffs. However, once the dust settles, the AL West will have a new divisional champion for the first time since the Rangers won it back in 2016.
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