Houston Astros Pass New York Yankees as Best Team in the American League

The Houston Astros now hold the number one seed in the American League, but could it be more of a curse than a blessing?

Kade Kistner | Aug 10, 2022

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

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Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a great baseball team. After Tuesday night, they are now the best team in the American League with the No. 1 seed and trail only the Los Angeles Dodgers in all of Major League Baseball, thanks to a win and a New York Yankees loss.

But, a casual MLB fan may not know that considering the raucous fanfare surrounding the Yankees and their star-studded roster situated in the largest media market in the United States.

Outside of José Altuve, Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander many may not be familiar with Houston's roster. New York on the other hand has household names up and down the lineup, but they still sit behind Houston in seeding.

The answer is simple: player development and management.

It is something the Astros not only excel in, they are arguably the best in baseball at discovering, unearthing and then developing talent. That has created a "next man up" mentality in Houston, and it has allowed them not just to take the AL No. 1 seed this late into the season, but it has allowed them to maintain a continued level of success.

Should they maintain their success and seeding into the postseason then they would get a bye in the Wild Card round of the 2022 MLB postseason and face the winner of the No. 3 and 4 Wild Card matchup.

That would likely be a team such as the Toronto Blue Jays. Not ideal for an AL Divisional Series matchup.

However, if Houston were to finish with the second seed they would likely play a team from the AL Central. It goes without saying that playing a team from the AL Central in the ALDS is preferable for the Astros, but it would likely require the Minnesota Twins to win a playoff series. That has not happened since 2002.

So while the No. 1 seed carries the prestige — especially denying the Yankees of that title — it also bears the burden of a potentially harder path through the postseason. Which is more important between the two is an obvious answer.

Still, acquiring the No. 1 on Tuesday evening helps create momentum. Something a club can't have enough of as they steam toward the postseason.

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Published Aug 10, 2022

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.