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Rising Apple staff’s picks for the 2017 postseason
Kory Powell, Staff Writer – Houston Astros
This October, I’ll be pulling for the Houston Astros. Of course, my options are limited as I could never bring myself to root for Yankees, Nationals or Cubs, but the Astros are a team that excites me. Their lineup is loaded with talent and their rotation is headlined by Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander. Verlander, who was dealt to Houston in August is hoping to win his first ever World Series ring after coming up short with Detroit in 2012. He’s consistently been one of the best players in baseball ever since he came up in 2006 and it would be cool to see him get a title.
The other main reason why I’m rooting for the Astros is because of their star outfielder, George Springer. Springer grew up just 20 minutes down the road from me in Connecticut and attended my current school, the University of Connecticut. He regularly attended New Britain Rock Cats games (now the Hartford Yard Goats) and even played catch with Torii Hunter while he was in the Twins’ farm system. To say that a World Series champion grew up in a town right over from me and also attended UConn would be pretty sweet. With all that said, let’s go ‘Stros!