I'm very biased, but if you are a fan of watching young guys become stars, then I would say you become an Astros fan. They are a young club with a lot of talent that will be a lot of fun to watch for the next decade.

Correa, Altuve, Bregman, and Springer might be as big names as Biggio, Bagwell and Berkman.

The Rangers have had a great 8 year run. The Astros might just be starting theirs.

I do have one question: does either team center around players who are loyal to the team? Being from SA, I love me a good team that I can grow up with. I know baseball players are traded a bit more regularly than basketball, but it's still the same sentiment

The Rangers did kick the crap out of the biggest POS in baseball, Bautista, +1 for Texas

Lord_TyTy said:

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I do have one question: does either team center around players who are loyal to the team? Being from SA, I love me a good team that I can grow up with. I know baseball players are traded a bit more regularly than basketball, but it's still the same sentiment

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I'd say so for the Astros. Altuve, Springer, Correa, Bregman, Keuchel all come to mind and are players this team is built on. I don't see them going anywhere for a while and I think they want to stay.

The Astros are going to be way more fun to watch this year

Lord_TyTy said:

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I do have one question: does either team center around players who are loyal to the team? Being from SA, I love me a good team that I can grow up with. I know baseball players are traded a bit more regularly than basketball, but it's still the same sentiment

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Honestly, I would put Beltre, Hamilton, Napoli and Andrus in this category. What Hamilton has left in the tank remains to be seen, but it's clear that these guys love being in Texas.

aggiematt235 said:

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free_mhayden said:

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Lord_TyTy said:

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I do have one question: does either team center around players who are loyal to the team? Being from SA, I love me a good team that I can grow up with. I know baseball players are traded a bit more regularly than basketball, but it's still the same sentiment

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Both teams have players that are happy where they are at, both have players that have left and come back (sometimes for less money -- eg. Napoli back to Texas).

But I think you'll find following baseball that the teams that are constantly loyal to certain players no matter what (and vice versa) end up hamstrung. San Antonio could do it because their core was one of the best ever, so neither side really had a reason to want to look elsewhere.

If you're looking for which team will have their current young talent longer, go with the Astros -- as others have said they definitely are the younger of the two. Rangers have some young guys, but they haven't had the *ahem* luxury... of being able to stockpile top young talent from the draft.

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when the Rangers made their runs a few years back they were doing it w/ guys like Kinsler, Cruz, Elvis, Neftali Feliz.

Those were guys that came up through their farm system when they had the *ahem* luxury of stock piling talent.

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Except of course Ian Kinsler was a 17th round draft pick and Cruz, Elvis and Feliz weren't drafted by Texas at all.

Obviously any team that isn't just buying every player has to have some success in their drafting/farm in order to develop or trade for talent... but it's silly to compare them to guys like Correa and Bregman -- guys that the Astros literally had to waste an entire season to get.

Aggie_Eric98 said:

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The Rangers did kick the crap out of the biggest POS in baseball, Bautista, +1 for Texas

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Not only that, they regularly kick the crap out of the Astros as well.

RetiredAg said:

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Lord_TyTy said:

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I do have one question: does either team center around players who are loyal to the team? Being from SA, I love me a good team that I can grow up with. I know baseball players are traded a bit more regularly than basketball, but it's still the same sentiment

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Honestly, I would put Beltre, Hamilton, Napoli and Andrus in this category. What Hamilton has left in the tank remains to be seen, but it's clear that these guys love being in Texas.

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Napoli probably... Beltre and Andrus were given large sums of money to stay in Texas... Hamilton probably feels comfortable here because going to any other organization would require them to know all his "mis-steps".

RetiredAg said:

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Lord_TyTy said:

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I do have one question: does either team center around players who are loyal to the team? Being from SA, I love me a good team that I can grow up with. I know baseball players are traded a bit more regularly than basketball, but it's still the same sentiment

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Honestly, I would put Beltre, Hamilton, Napoli and Andrus in this category. What Hamilton has left in the tank remains to be seen, but it's clear that these guys love being in Texas.

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Hamilton loves playing baseball in Texas:

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"They're supportive," said Hamilton about Rangers fans, "but they also got a little spoiled at the same time pretty quickly."

He added: "You think about three to four years ago (before two straight World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011). It's like, come on man, are you happier there again?"

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Quote:

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"Personally, myself, it never would matter how high I was -- if I went to a sporting event, I would never boo somebody or I would never yell obscenities at somebody," said Hamilton, via ESPNDallas.com. "That's just me."

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I'd say just watch both teams and decide at a later date. Obviously, everything you're reading here is going to be biased.

I will say that Adrian Beltre, regardless of the team you root for, is easily one of the most likeable players in all of baseball. He's a first ballot HOFer and simply plays the game the right way, often through injury. He and Andrus make up a very special left side of the infield.

There are pros to both teams though. You want to watch young talent try to take that next step? Then the Astros may be your team. You want to watch a older, more experienced players fighting to get back to the WS? Then the Rangers may be your team. Also, while there is certainly a slew of young talent on the Astros, the Rangers are certainly not devoid of youthful talent.

ClickClack said:

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RetiredAg said:

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Lord_TyTy said:

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I do have one question: does either team center around players who are loyal to the team? Being from SA, I love me a good team that I can grow up with. I know baseball players are traded a bit more regularly than basketball, but it's still the same sentiment

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Honestly, I would put Beltre, Hamilton, Napoli and Andrus in this category. What Hamilton has left in the tank remains to be seen, but it's clear that these guys love being in Texas.

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Hamilton loves playing baseball in Texas:

Quote:

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"They're supportive," said Hamilton about Rangers fans, "but they also got a little spoiled at the same time pretty quickly."

He added: "You think about three to four years ago (before two straight World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011). It's like, come on man, are you happier there again?"

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Quote:

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"Personally, myself, it never would matter how high I was -- if I went to a sporting event, I would never boo somebody or I would never yell obscenities at somebody," said Hamilton, via ESPNDallas.com. "That's just me."

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Yes, the first separation between the Rangers and Hamilton was very acrimonious. Compare those w/ comments he's made since coming back. He clearly feels at home here and I think both sides (Hamilton and the fans) would say they didn't handle that departure very well. Emotions were high and he felt slighted. Rangers fans were pissed because he appeared to completely give up at the end of the season.

But, after all that's happened, I don't think you can deny that he's where he wants to be right now.

RetiredAg said:

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But, after all that's happened, I don't think you can deny that he's where he wants to be right now.

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Yeah...The only place that would give his washed up ass a job.

Ag_07 said:

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RetiredAg said:

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But, after all that's happened, I don't think you can deny that he's where he wants to be right now.

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Yeah...The only place that would give his washed up ass a job.

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Well, the only place that would give him a roster spot as another team payed his salary. In a way, kind of like Gomez .

But yes, Hamilton didn't have any suitors, but IIRC, the Rangers resigned him to a minor league deal. W/ his natural talent, it's certainly worth the risk of a minor league deal.

ClickClack said:

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I do like Beltre. He's fun to watch, a great player, a great teammate; just seems like a solid guy.

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Yeah, easily my favorite player in baseball today, and making a run at Pudge for favorite player ever. Just such a fun guy to watch.

mAgnoliAg said:

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I may be biased but I think the stros are winning this thread

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The only thing they win vs. the Rangers

RetiredAg said:

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ClickClack said:

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I do like Beltre. He's fun to watch, a great player, a great teammate; just seems like a solid guy.

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Yeah, easily my favorite player in baseball today, and making a run at Pudge for favorite player ever. Just such a fun guy to watch.

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I'd say watching Beltre, and especially his interactions with Andrus, make watching the Rangers more fun that anyone else.

Plus Rangers are on FSSW all the time. I'm in the wrong part of Texas to know who shows Astros games.

Nuke LaLoosh said:

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So in conclusion, Rangers = metroplexuals and dudes that haze each other via caresssing private parts.

Astros = young fun base of talent.

Tough decision indeed.

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Especially when one of those teams, year in and year out, thoroughly owns the other.

RetiredAg said:

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Nuke LaLoosh said:

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So in conclusion, Rangers = metroplexuals and dudes that haze each other via caresssing private parts.

Astros = young fun base of talent.

Tough decision indeed.

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Especially when one of those teams, year in and year out, thoroughly owns the other.

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And what is the longhorns record vs. the Aggies? I don't get this logic.

I get that it's said tongue in cheek but I find it interesting that keeps being brought up on this thread as an actual criterion.

ClickClack said:

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RetiredAg said:

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Nuke LaLoosh said:

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So in conclusion, Rangers = metroplexuals and dudes that haze each other via caresssing private parts.

Astros = young fun base of talent.

Tough decision indeed.

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Especially when one of those teams, year in and year out, thoroughly owns the other.

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And what is the longhorns record vs. the Aggies? I don't get this logic.

I get that it's said tongue in cheek but I find it interesting that keeps being brought up on this thread as an actual criterion.

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Because the nature of the thread basically guaranteed it would be a Houston vs Texas trash talking thread and we're just having fun. It's like someone pointing out that the Rangers and Astros have the same number of playoff wins the past 2 years or Astros fans claiming Rangers fans didn't exist until 2010. Plus, it was in response to an even less valid "tongue in cheek" comment about a group of Rangers prospects.

It's all in good fun.

Go Missions!

While I STRONGLY DISLIKE the Astros, here is what I would say about their team if you're looking for a reason to follow them:

Both teams have star players, and would be the reason I would follow either. I'm not going to go into the breakdown of each player for the Astros, but pretty much all of their good players are below I would say 27, and pretty damn talented. In the case of Carlos Correa, ultra-talented. There is no player in the MLB quite like Jose Altuve. He's so short but so good at hitting for contact and is somehow the Astros' "veteran" and he's only 26. If you're watching them, you're rooting for a team full of youth and talent, which can be very exciting. They've also added in some pretty good veteran players (McCann, Beltran and Reddick). I don't know their pitching staff or bullpen as well, but I would venture to say that youth and potential/talent is the story of the Astros team. If things pull together for them, they could be a force.

With the Rangers for example, Adrian Beltre is a defensive wizard, and pretty much universally loved around baseball for his personality, and he just so happens to be a hall of famer at third. He's worth going to a game just to watch by himself. Rougned Odor is a small power hitting second baseman who plays with a lot of passion and aggressiveness at the plate and on the field. Nomar Mazara is incredibly young and ahead of schedule with his MLB development. Yu Darvish is finally fully healthy, and can be a pitching artist if he's on his game. Cole Hamels is capable of shutting down any team any time he gets the ball. They also have some hard throwing bullpen members. Overall the Rangers have I would say more veteran players than the Astros do.


Personally I think both teams are going to be good this season, and I think the Astros could take a fairly large step up with what they've added.

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Personally I think both teams are going to be good this season, and I think the Astros could take a fairly large step up with what they've added.

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I think for both teams, it's all going to come down to certain aspects of their rotations. For the Rangers, I think Perez is the key. It's vital that he take a step forward and become a solid and dependable #3 starter. For the Astros, Keuchel is key. Does 2015 or 2016 Keuchel show up this year? If the Rangers can't find a dependable #3 guy and the Astros can't find an ace, then they could easily struggle. And by "struggle", I don't mean a losing record. I think both these teams are too talented to be losing teams.

Both teams are certainly fun to watch though. Both lineups will be strong. I think both end up in the 90-95 win range.