Houston Astros Projected to Win AL West

The last month of the season for the Houston Astros is set to begin Friday when they begin a three-game slate against the New York Yankees. The final month will be the determining factor on which team in the AL West wins the division and avoids a potential road series in the postseason.

Entering Thursday, the Astros are tied at the top of the AL West with the Seattle Mariners who have gotten red hot the last few months. Both of these teams overtook the Texas Rangers who were seemingly in control of the division for the whole season.

Now, the AL West, which has been dominated by Houston in five of the last six years, will be one of the most exciting races to watch down the stretch.

According to FanGraphs' projections, it will be the Astros who ultimately win the division for the third straight season and will get to host a playoff series.

Their projections give Houston a 53.7% chance to finish first while the Mariners are given a 32.2% chance. The struggling Rangers are given only a 14.0% chance despite an easier remaining strength of schedule based on win percentage.

If the Astros are able to win the AL West, they would be given a bye straight into the ALDS round and avoid the Wild Card completely. They currently trail the Baltimore Orioles by seven games for the best record among division winners. This would give Houston the second seed and would face the winner of the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds playing in the Wild Card round.

If FanGraphs' projections are right and the Astros do win the division, they have a much better chance at getting back to the World Series and defend their title.