In honor of the 2022 Major League Baseball season, which starts April 7 — and is actually a thing! — FiveThirtyEight will be focusing our attention on the most intriguing team (or in this case, teams) in each division. Today we take a look at the American League West, which has mostly belonged to the […]
Relative to preseason expectations, the two most impressive teams in baseball so far this season have probably been the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox — a pair of clubs few thought would be headlining baseball’s two toughest divisions. But while both teams missed the playoffs last year and appeared to be in periods […]
The Oakland A’s might be something of America’s team in 2020. Their torrid start to the season has pushed them past the besmirched Houston Astros in the American League West standings and in our prediction model. Every time the A’s excel on the field, we’re reminded of “Moneyball,” the best-selling book that helped accelerate baseball’s […]
Think of the Houston Astros these past few seasons, and you’re probably picturing Jose Altuve, the team’s pint-sized sparkplug of a second baseman, or Carlos Correa, its megatalented modern-shortstop prototype. Perhaps you’re thinking of all the home runs launched by George Springer in the World Series last fall. Or maybe you enjoy great pitching, and […]