The Houston Astros were a confusing team when looking back at the freshly finished 2026 regular season. The Astros made history as the first team to make the postseason with a .500 record. Houston also won the AL West with their 81-81 stretch before being eliminated by the Chicago White Sox.

The Astros had their struggles, but they also had their strengths. This is now a veteran-led lineup that still knows how to get the job done, but not every cylinder was clicking for Houston in 2026. The cylinder that was? The home run ball.

Houston led Major League Baseball in team home runs, smashing 226, which was three more than the New York Yankees in the American League and six more than the National League leader, the Chicago Cubs.

Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker, Isaac Paredes, Jeremy Pena and Cam Smith are all examples of strong power hitters in the middle of the lineup for Houston.

Their power numbers helped the Astros earn a nomination for the American League Offensive Team of the Year Award. But when looking at their competitors, will the long ball be enough to bring home the award?

Looking at AL Offensive Team of the Year Competition

Here are the three other teams nominated for the 2026 AL Offensive Team of the Year Award:

Tampa Bay Rays
Minnesota Twins
Chicago White Sox

On paper, the Astros look to be on the short end of the stick with their competition. While they were one of three teams nominated to make the playoffs, the White Sox eliminated them from the postseason and the Rays went on to represent the American League in the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

While Houston led Major League Baseball in home runs, the White Sox led the AL in RBIs (740), the Rays led the AL in batting average (.258), and all three of the Astros' competitors scored more runs than they did this season.

The Astros led the AL in SLG % (.417) and OPS (.733), yet when looking at the overall picture for the award, it might not be enough to get them to the finish line.

Both Tampa Bay and Chicago finished with better records and advanced further in the postseason, and while the award primarily focuses on regular season statistics, the Astros' power wasn't enough to make them a better baseball team overall, given they held a Team ERA of 4.45, ranked 12th in the AL.

Crazier things have happened, and the Astros did lead some important categories, so their window for winning isn't shut; it just might not be as open as some of their opponents'.

The award will be presented to the winning team on Nov. 17, 2026 as will the Silver Slugger Awards.