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Houston Astros versus New York Yankees ALCS preview

By Brian Murray

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 10: The Houston Astros celebrate after their 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in game five of the American League Division Series at Minute Maid Park on October 10, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 10: The Houston Astros celebrate after their 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in game five of the American League Division Series at Minute Maid Park on October 10, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 07: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 07, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 07: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning in Game Three of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 07, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

These two powerhouses ranked right up at the top of the Major Leagues with arguably the best offensive teams of the season. The Astros lead the Majors with an offensive OPS+ of 119 and the Yankees were right behind them in second place with a 118 OPS+. Houston also led the league with a 40.8 WAR while New York’s 32.7 was two spots below.

The Yankees were the top in scoring, totaling 943 runs, 23 more than the Astros scored on the season. They also take the edge over Houston in the home run category with 306 homers compared to the Astros 288.

But interestingly enough the Astros still had the best slugging percentage in the Majors at .495, slightly above the Yankees’ .490. The reason for this is the fact that the Astros had far more 2Bs and 3Bs by a margin of 351 to 307. The Astros slash line of .274/.352./.495 and .848 OPS beat out the Yankees .267/.339/.490 – OPS .829 across the board.

Where I see one of the biggest differences between the two teams is their strikeout and walk rates. Amazingly enough, the Astros lead the Majors in both categories. They have the highest BB% at 10.1% and their 18.2% strikeout rate is the lowest. In turn, the Yankees rank 12th in both statistics with a 9.1 BB% and a 23.0 K%.

Looking at all of these numbers and rates, I would have to give the Astros a slight edge on offense with solid all-around stats.

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