Houston Astros fans mock Nathaniel Lowe for believing his Rangers team are tops in the AL West: "It's cute he actually believes that"

Nathaniel Lowe believes the Texas Rangers are the team to beat. This is in a division with the defending champion Houston Astros and a team containing Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.

Lowe said he was incensed in the offseason by reports that Houston would win the division handily.

Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. by u/motherlydread in Astros

Via Sports Illustrated, his take looks better now:

“This team is for real. The starting staff is for real, there are guys in the bullpen that are competitors, they’re guys that will get big outs for us. There’s 120 games left or whatever it is. But the division is ours to lose.

"You can't sleep on the Rangers. If we're not in contention coming down the stretch, I would be very, very surprised and would say something has gone horribly wrong.”

The Rangers currently lead the Astros by a game as the defending champions have come roaring back to life. Their fans, riding the high of their recent success, took the opportunity to rip into Lowe for his comments.

Comment by u/shotty293 from discussion Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. in Astros

Comment by u/Ferman95 from discussion Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. in Astros

Comment by u/Tomic_Lewis from discussion Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. in Astros

Comment by u/motherlydread from discussion Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. in Astros

Comment by u/TomatoRemarkable3721 from discussion Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. in Astros

Comment by u/cnapp from discussion Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. in Astros

Comment by u/blackhawksq from discussion Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. in Astros

Comment by u/fcimfc from discussion Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. in Astros

Comment by u/girl_adrift from discussion Nathaniel Lowe seems to think the division runs through the Rangers. in Astros

The Rangers are off to a hot start after spending a lot over the last two offseasons. Bringing in stars Corey Seager and Marcus Semien in 2022 and then Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi in 2023 has led to success.

---

Houston Astros can't be counted out yet

However, the defending champs are not to be discounted. They're one of the best teams in baseball, their slow(ish) start notwithstanding. They came into the season as the favorites to win it all and they only trail by a game at this juncture.

Don't discount the Houston Astros

Furthermore, they stand a much better chance of winning the division. Right now, FiveThirtyEight's projections model has the Houston Astros with a 63% chance of winning the division. The Rangers, conversely, have a 20% chance of doing so.

Both teams will likely make the playoffs. Houston has an 83% chance of doing so and Texas is at 50%. However, it's a bit premature to claim the division, especially when a lot of the numbers do not line up.