MLB The Show 20: Houston Astros player OVR predictions - Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Justin Verlander & more

Unsurprisingly, by the end of the 2019 MLB
season the Houston Astros had the best team on MLB The Show 19, despite losing
the World Series to the Washington Nationals.

Since then, while they lost their ace, Gerrit Cole, to the New York Yankees, their squad has remained largely unchanged – at least as far as the players are concerned. That squad won more games than any other team in the Majors last year, played in their third straight ALCS and made their second World Series appearance in three years.

That being the case, and that the squad is
largely unchanged, 2020 figures to be another year for the Astros to make a run
at the World Series as one of the best teams in the American League. Plus, the penalties levied by MLB for their cheating doesn’t change the quality of the squad.

So, with all of that in mind, just how highly rated can the defending AL Pennant winners be rated in MLB The Show 20?

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about MLB The Show 20

Alex Bregman, 3B

MVP: Bregman will be a favorite for the award in 2020

2019
launch rating: 91

2020
prediction: 97

Bregman’s 2019 season officially put him
among the very best players in the MLB. He may have come just shy of the AL MVP
award, finishing second to Mike Trout, but his season was immense. He led the
Majors in walks while batting .296 with 41 homers and 112 RBIs.

Expect his rise to be among the most
impactful players in baseball last year to cement him among the top players in
MLB The Show 20.

Jose Altuve, 2B

REBOUND: Can Altuve prove 2019 was just a 'down-year'?

2019
launch rating: 95

2020
prediction: 95

2019 was the first year since 2014 that Altuve didn’t win an award, make the All-Star team, or bat above .300 for the season. However, his .298 average, 31 homers and 74 RBIs isn’t too shabby.

READ MORE: New York Yankees player OVR predictions

Altuve remains arguably the best second
baseman in baseball, and his The Show 20 rating should reflect that. There is
certainly no reason for a drop.

Justin Verlander, SP

CY YOUNG: Can Verlander keep his form going in 2020?

2019
launch rating: 91

2020
prediction: 93

The Astros may have lost Gerrit Cole to the Yankees, but they still have a very bad man in their rotation in Justin Verlander. Verlander’s 2019 culminated in earning his second Cy Young after logging 21 wins to just six losses with a 2.58 ERA and 300 strikeouts.

He may be 37 by the time the season starts,
but he has shown his age isn’t an issue. Coming off a season like he has, I
expect him to be among the very best pitchers in the game at release.

Roberto Osuna, CP

SHUTDOWN: Osuna will be asked to close games again in 2020

2019
launch rating: 91

2020
prediction: 91

Not only will the Astros have two of the
best infielders in The Show 20, along with one of the best pitchers, they’ll
also have one of the best closing pitchers. Osuna logged 38 saves in 66
appearances with a 2.63 ERA.

He finished The Show 19 with a 90 OVR rating, dropping one overall, but I think he’ll hop back up to the same starting rating for The Show 20. He still produces immense breaking balls and a drop in OVR would be hard to justify.

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Zack Greinke, SP

VET: Greinke may be older but still gets the job done

2019
launch rating: 88

2020 prediction: 88

After Greinke's in-season trade it was accepted that the Astros had possibly the best starting rotation in the Majors. By season end, their top three, including Greinke, had an ERA below three.

What's more, Greinke finished his season with an excellent Game 7 performance. As a result, despite his age, his rating deserves to stay right where it was going into last season.

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Here is the rest of the top Houston Astros
MLB The Show 20 player OVR predictions:

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