Major League Baseball’s Opening Day remains on ice due to the coronavirus, but plans to get things started are in the works. Bettors may not see the first game on the board until sometime this summer but there will be a season and a race to the 2020 World Series.
The race to the pennant to represent the American League in the 2020 Fall Classic includes a solid frontrunner, a strong contender and up to six teams battling it out for the show position in the MLB futures odds.
Odds for Top 10 to Win AL Pennant
Going Chalk on The Favorite
The New York Yankees are expected to compete for a world title every season they take the field. The player personnel moves this past offseason have them listed as +150 favorites to, at the very least, win the AL Pennant.
Last year, the Yankees won 103 games to take the AL East by seven games over the Tampa Bay Rays. Not knowing exactly how many games they will be able to play this season, the MLB betting odds have been set at -110 that they win more than 62.5 percent of the games on the schedule.
The longer than expected delay combined with a shortened regular season will keep the division race tighter than usual.
Yet, there is no reason to bet against New York coming out of the AL East.
Once in the playoffs, their stacked rotation led by newcomer Gerrit Cole should be able to carry the Yankees past any team they face. With plus money (+150) still on the board, this would be the ‘best bet’ for the AL Pennant right now.
Top 10 Most Valuable MLB Teams
The Best of the Rest
The team with the best chance to make things interesting in the AL Pennant race is the Houston Astros as +400 second-favorites.
Losing Cole to the Yankees as one of their starters altered the balance of power in the AL race, however they still need to be considered when making your MLB picks. The sign stealing scandal has faded somewhat due to the current delay but that could still haunt Houston once things finally get underway.
Despite everything that has happened to this team since last season’s MLB-best 107-win run, the Astros still have enough pitching strength and run-scoring potential to make their third trip to the World Series in four seasons. I am just not betting on it.
Following the top two teams in the AL, the futures list continues with the Minnesota Twins as +800 third-favorites. The top bet for this team could be the -150 odds it wins another AL Central Division title.
You probably cannot go wrong with a small hedge bet they get past New York and Houston but the gap between second and third in this race is still rather wide.
As for the rest of the field, there are two teams (Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay) with +1000 odds followed by three more at +1200 (Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics). The Boston Red Sox are ninth on the list at +1600 with the Texas Rangers (+3300) rounding out the Top 10.
This is the type of season where anything can happen. Right now, there are more questions than answers with any AL team. However, when it is all said and done, the Yankees remain the class of this field.
