The American League has been in a really interesting place the past couple of years. While the Nationals, Cubs and Dodgers have ruled the NL divisions and a relatively small group of the usual suspects competed for the two NL wild-card spots, the AL has essentially been a free-for-all, with no great or even very good clubs.
The Astros' breakaway in the standings has put a major dent in that narrative in 2017, but it's still chaos beyond them. You could make a strong case that 12 of the 15 AL clubs are contenders, including the entire East. What are the top 20 strengths of 11 of those clubs? (I just can't rationalize including an entire division; sorry, Orioles fans.)
20. Rangers manager Jeff Banister: Before Banister became the skipper in Texas, I had heard him mentioned as baseball's next exceptional manager by more than one insider. I'm not one to over- or underestimate a manager's contribution, but Banister is one of a few current managers who can add wins to the bottom line. Random chance played a role, but the Rangers' overperformance last year was stunning, and Banister played a part. The Rangers are an utterly nondescript club that is hanging in, biding its time, and could potentially remain a factor all year.
19. The Astros' secret bullpen weapon: Chris Devenski is not so secret a weapon anymore. There are a lot of good relief pitchers in both leagues, but the vast majority of them are criminally underused. Is there some sort of unwritten rule that ace relievers or closers turn into pumpkins if they're used for over 60 innings? Devenski is roughly on a 90-inning pace, a throwback to the days when the best reliever on a club logged the most innings.