Houston Astros: Ranking the 2020 regular season opponents

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We rank the nine teams the Houston Astros will face in the 2020 regular season.

This is going to be an unusual season in so many ways, not the least of which is the list of opponents Houston will face. We won’t be seeing the Red Sox, Rays or Indians (maybe soon-to-be Cleveland Spiders?) this season, nor will fans have the opportunity to watch the Astros find another way to own the Yankees. At least not until the postseason.

In this 60-game regular season, 40 of those games will be played against the other four AL West teams — the Rangers, A’s, Angels and Mariners. The remaining 20 games will be played against the NL West teams — the Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Rockies and Diamondbacks.

Given that we only have nine regular season opponents, this provides a good opportunity to rank those opponents based on degree of difficulty. Some of these teams (one in particular) will be tough matchups, while others should be more smooth sailing. With such a short season, the Astros can ill afford to struggle against the bottom tier of teams.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 25: Jeff Samardzija #29 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park on September 25, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

The Bottom Tier

9. Seattle Mariners

As we examined in our AL West preview, the Mariners simply lack talent. They lost 94 games despite starting out 13-2, and they aren’t noticeably better this year. The rotation is full of question marks behind Marco Gonzales, and the bullpen is even more of a mystery.

There’s some potential in the lineup if Mitch Haniger can bounce back and veterans Dee Gordon and Kyle Seager can improve, but otherwise it’s just tough to see this team hanging around. Even in a season as short as 60 games, I’d be surprised if they don’t finish at the bottom of the standings.

8. San Francisco Giants

In short, the Giants are rebuilding. Longtime ace Madison Bumgarner is now in another uniform, as are closer Will Smith and outfielder Kevin Pillar. Primary backstop Buster Posey is coming off a disappointing year and seems to be leaving the door open to opting out of the season. An infield containing Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Evan Longoria would’ve been really nice five years ago, but not so much now.

Jeff Samardzija is the team’s ace, and they’ll hope Johnny Cueto can return to form after two injury-marred years. The remaining veterans will likely be trade candidates this year as well, though some will need to turn back the clock to generate trade value. This is a team that’ll probably get worse before it gets better.

7. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are coming off a 91-loss season, and it’s hard to see where they’ve improved. They still have a solid offensive core of Nolan Arenado, Trevor Story and Charlie Blackmon, while Daniel Murphy and David Dahl could add some solid production as well. They’ll have to replace Ian Desmond, who’s opting out this season.

The pitching side is an issue, though. There’s a lot of young talent, starting with Jon Gray and German Marquez, but the rest of their young arms are coming off bad seasons. The bullpen is an even bigger question as closer Wade Davis was awful in 2019, and veterans Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw weren’t much help either. This is a team that might be able to contend in a short season if a lot of things break right, but I wouldn’t count on it.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 06: Joey Gallo #13 of the Texas Rangers looks on against the Minnesota Twins on July 6, 2019 at the Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Rangers 7-4. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /

The Middle Tier

6. Texas Rangers

Coming off an 84-loss season, the Rangers made some moves to upgrade their rotation. Corey Kluber joins Mike Minor and Lance Lynn to form an imposing trio, while they also added Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles to give them a strong group. The bullpen is another matter entirely, however, as that group looks like an obvious Achilles’ heel.

They added some additional pop in Todd Frazier and Robinson Chirinos, and they’ll hope for a full season from power factory Joey Gallo. But can Danny Santana sustain his breakout 2019, and can Rougned Odor even manage a .300 on-base percentage? It’s also hard to see Elvis Andrus and Shin Soo Choo being any better than they were last year, which isn’t bad but is hardly noteworthy. This is a team that looks to hover around .500 but could surprise if they get their bullpen in order.

5. Los Angeles Angels

I might be a little more optimistic about the Angels than they deserve, but they did add some key pieces in the offseason after losing 90 games last year. Joining new manager Joe Maddon is All-Star third baseman Anthony Rendon, and they also added former Astros catcher Jason Castro behind the plate.

Their pitching staff needed help, and it’ll be buoyed by the return of Shohei Ohtani along with newcomers Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran. If their bullpen can morph into an average unit, at least, and if outfielder Justin Upton can bounce back from an awful 2019, this team could be dangerous. At least they’re trying to get Mike Trout to the postseason.

4. San Diego Padres

The Friars finished last in the NL West last year with 92 losses, but this is a young team on the rise. A full season from phenom shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr will help, as will more of young catcher Francisco Mejia. Tommy Pham, once he recovers from COVID-19, adds some much-needed help in the outfield, and Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer remain in what could be a deep lineup.

The rotation has talented young arms in Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet, while newcomers Garrett Richards and Zach Davies could add some consistency. The Padres added sudden relief ace Drew Pomeranz to pair with closer Kirby Yates, so this is a team that might not necessarily be the best, but doesn’t have many weaknesses.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA – JULY 03: The Arizona Diamondbacks take batting practice as they participate in summer workouts ahead of the abbreviated MLB season at Chase Field on July 03, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. The 2020 season, which has been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to start later this month. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The Top Tier

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

The D’backs are an intriguing bunch. They traded Zack Greinke to the Astros last July and then signed Madison Bumgarner in the offseason to take his place as the veteran anchor. Their rotation boasts some other talented arms in Robbie Ray, Luke Weaver and Alex Young. Their bullpen needs better results from Archie Bradley, but could turn out to be a solid unit if he returns to form.

On offense, Eduardo Escobar and Ketel Marte are coming off excellent seasons, and first baseman Christian Walker provides additional pop. They’re joined by newcomers Kole Calhoun and Starling Marte, who could give the Snakes one of the better outfields around. With some additional young talent waiting in the wings, this is a team that won 85 games last year and could be even better.

2. Oakland Athletics

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The A’s won 97 games last year and made the postseason as a Wild Card team, and they should be in the thick of it again. As usual, they’ve got some talented young arms on their pitching staff such as A.J. Puk and Jesus Luzardo to join veteran Mike Fiers and a handful of other candidates, and their bullpen has some solid pieces as well.

The offense is led by a trio of excellent infielders in Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson. Former Astros prospect Ramon Laureano has turned into a quality player, and if DH Khris Davis can bounce back, that’ll make them even more dangerous. This team just doesn’t have many weaknesses.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Even with the news that David Price is opting out of the season, this is still the toughest team the Astros will face this year. The Dodgers’ rotation is headlined by Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw, and there’s plenty of depth with Alex Wood, Dustin May, Jimmy Nelson and Julio Urias. The bullpen has plenty of options as well, leading up to closer Kenley Jansen. Bouncebacks from Joe Kelly and newcomer Blake Treinen could make them even deeper.

Their lineup is even scarier. Mookie Betts joins Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Max Muncy, A.J. Pollock and Joc Pederson to form a deep, imposing group. They probably benefit from the universal DH more than any other NL team as they can get all their top bats in the lineup every day. This could be the game’s most talented roster on paper, though we’ll see if the Astros continue living rent-free in their heads.

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