EXPECT ANOTHER AMERICAN LEAGUE West division title for the Astros. However, don’t count on them hoisting another World Series pennant.
With the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season on hold because of the Coronavirus, Out of the Park Baseball took the time to simulate how the Astros would fare over the course of the campaign. The popular sports sim (ootpdevelopments.com) projected the Astros to finish with a 100-62 record, holding off the Angels, who finished 93-69.
Offense carried the way for the Astros, as OOTP projected that ace starter Justin Verlander’s injury was more severe than expected, leading him to miss the entire season with a partially torn UCL. Zack Greinke helped carry the load, going 11-9 with a 3.81 ERA, putting up the exact numbers of Jose Urquidy. The staff got a huge contribution from Framber Valdez, who delivered a 13-6 record and a team-best 210 strikeouts.
Houston delivered massive lumber, scoring 932 runs and swatting a combined 248 homers. Yordan Alvarez proved he was no fluke, hitting .267 with 45 homers and an MLB-high 145 RBI. Alex Bregman put up most valuable player-like totals (.278-41-125), while Carlos Correa stayed healthy enough to thump 32 homers and drive in 98 runs.
Unfortunately, the OOTP sim stops the Astros cold in the American League Division Series as the American League East champion Yankees took out Houston in four games. New York outlasted the Angels in a seven-game nail-biter but their opportunity to hoist another World Series crown fell short, as the Dodgers – behind the bat of National League MVP Cody Bellinger – captured their first title since 1988 in a seven-game series filled with offense.
Those interested in purchasing their own copy of OOTP can go on the website. The game offers everything from playing historic seasons from 1871-2019 along with the ability to design your own ballpark.
