Houston Astros

The Astros, who finished third in the AL West last year, are a popular pick to play deep into October.

While their roster is littered with young talent such as infielders Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve and outfielder George

Springer, manager A.J. Hinch warns that winning on paper doesn’t mean much.

“We haven’t done anything yet, but we plan on doing our part,” he said. “This isn’t a one-year wonder team. We made the playoffs two years ago. We had a winning season last year. I guess I would expect us to have some believers, but this sport will humble you once you start reading your own press clippings and expect things to just be easy for you.”

Right- hander Charlie Morton is worth tracking as he looks to build on a promising spring. Morton tore his hamstring after four impressive starts with the Philadelphia Phillies last year and missed the rest of the season. Morton, a nine-year pro who is 25 games under .500 in his career, showed a fastball that touched 98 mph in camp. Mike Fiers went from a long role to a starting one. The right-hander was inserted into the rotation when Collin McHugh’s tired arm derailed his availability at the season’s onset. Fiers started 30 games last year, going 11-8 with a 4.48 ERA.