Ranking the Astros AL West Rivals in Order

Lo and behold, I have just realized that the Astros are entering their fifth season as a member of the American League West division.

Man, time sure does fly after your favorite team changes leagues and divisions. Hard to believe that five short calendar years ago that the Astros were beginning their final rotation through the National League.

Fast forward to 2017 and the Astros are now in their fifth season in the American League. Like it or not, the franchise has established new rivalries of varying degrees in the AL West.

But where should we rank these newfound rivals? Well, I’m glad you asked!

Rival #4: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The first in presentation, but last in terms of a meaningful rivalary currently, has to be the Angels. Now, if you feel compelled to say the Oakland Athletics I wouldn’t disagree. There is a personal bias, however slight, in these rankings.

Up to this date, the Astros and Angels have yet to be competitive at the same moment since Houston joined the division. Sure, you have the Albert Pujols connection from his heyday with the St. Louis Cardinals. But he hasn’t been the same menace that he was to the Astros ten years ago.

There hasn’t been much in terms of meaningful games between the two franchises. Until both teams are competitive at the same point in time, it’s hard to see this rivalry advancing much. But if the Astros and Angels maintain their decent starts to the 2017 season then that all may change soon.

Rival #3: Oakland Athletics

This is another rivalary that hasn’t yet taken off. In a way it is similar to the Angels situation. There just isn’t much of history to drive this one.

However, you do have the connection with players who have played for both clubs. The most well-known example is Jed Lowrie. Not only has he been traded from the Astros to the Athletics once but twice. Houston at one point had Chris Carter, Max Stassi and Brad Peacock on the active roster, albeit for a short period of time. They all came over from Oakland in the original Lowrie trade following the 2012 season. But Carter is long gone nowadays and Stassi is toiling away in the minor leagues. And Peacock has been converted (for good?) from a starting pitcher to a major league reliever.

However, there is one of the current Astros, Josh Reddick, who made his career by playing in Oakland. The former Athletic outfielder was, of course, traded last summer to the Los Angeles Dodgers and then signed with the Astros during the offseason. He obviously holds fond memories in Oakland and his past teammates so this adds another wrinkle to this division rivalry.

Rival #1: Texas Rangers

This is the obvious answer by far. These are two inter-state rivals who have a constant back-and-forth on and off the field. Of course, the results have been fairly one-sided as the Rangers have went 28-10 in the past two seasons against the Astros. And this one-sided record has contributed to why the Astros have finished by the division-winning Rangers two years in a row.

If the Astros are serious about contending for the AL West crown in 2017 then the road to glory goes through Arlington. It’s that simple. Houston cannot be taken seriously unless they best the Rangers at home and on the road.

You also have the player connections. Carlos Gomez is the most recent example. Delino DeShields Jr. is another. Mike Hauschild made his debut as a Ranger, not an Astro thanks to the Rule V draft. Then there are the past examples that have played for both franchises: Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Ivan Rodriguez, and most famously, Nolan Ryan.

Next: Astros bullpen: True or False, is Ken Giles no longer the closer?

For years, the only notable aspects between the two teams were Ryan and interleague play. Oh, the Rangers owned the Astros during interleague as well if you don’t remember. But that has changed. This rivalary has built itself up nicely. And it has been the one saving grace of the Astros move to the American League.

**Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and ESPN.com**