Yankees HOFer Says Astros 'Best-Built Team for Postseason' in American League

The Houston Astros are two games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West race. The Astros would be a Wild Card team if the postseason started today.

For one Fox commentator, Derek Jeter, it doesn’t matter how the Astros get into the postseason. They’re the team everyone needs to watch out for.

“Look, people are going talk about pitching, people are going to talk about hitting, people are going to talk about defense … I still think the Houston Astros are the best team built in the postseason in the American League, because they have experience and you can’t say enough about having experience and being there before,” Jeter said.

The Astros have been to the playoffs every season since 2017, and the Astros won the World Series in 2017 and in 2022. In fact, the Astros have reached the American League Championship Series every season since 2017 and the World Series two additional times, losing in 2019 and 2021.

Jeter said that, more than anything else, it’s the experienced, calming influence at the front step of the dugout that makes the Astros the team to beat.

“Once they get to the postseason, which everyone expected them to, that’s when they’ll relax and the No. 1 reason for that is (manager) Dusty Baker,” Jeter said. “Dusty is a calming influence on that clubhouse. He’s a player’s manager. You’ve never heard anyone, any player, say anything bad about Dusty Baker and that goes a long way when you get in the pressure packed moments of a pennant race.”

The Astros are 50-41 entering the post-All-Star break slate and open on Friday at the Los Angeles Angels.

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