Spring Training is in full swing and Opening Day is just a couple of weeks away. Personally, baseball has a few very exciting moments for me. Opening Day is one of the best days in sports, something about the hope of a new season, the return of baseball, and the new rosters renews my enjoyment for baseball. The other times I get excited for the sport are around All-Star Break and playoffs. The other part of the excitement is that we can bet on something else every day. I'm going to share a few of my personal favorite win total bets for the American League teams. If you want to get all of the MLB futures, you can buy that package with plays from BTB and Jesse.
Baltimore Orioles - over 90.5 wins
Two years ago the Orioles were expected to lose 100 games. Last season, they were one of only three teams that won 100 games and they were the only team in the American League to hit that mark, ending with 101 wins. The Orioles are now expected to win 10 fewer games than they did last season. Personally, I think that drop is a bit too much. They added Corbin Burnes to the team, so now they have a true ace on their team. They still have one of the best bullpens in baseball and if Craig Kimbrel returns to his Hall-of-Fame caliber, the back end is even stronger. I like the Orioles to go over this and think they probably can get to about 95 wins. I think the Red Sox didn't do enough to improve, the Rays are worse without Wander Franco for a full year and less pitching, the Blue Jays are still strong, and the Yankees improved but Gerrit Cole has injury concerns already. Take the over.
Chicago White Sox - over 63.5 wins
I'm a Cubs fan. By nature that is supposed to mean that I hate the White Sox. However, I like money more than I like any team. I've been wrong about the White Sox for a couple of years now, but I think this is too big of a drop. A couple of years ago, everyone thought that the White Sox would win the World Series. They had a team full of talent and strong pitching. Now they've traded away some of the players and probably will do the same this year. They only had 61 wins in a disaster of a season last year. I do think their hitting should be good enough to get them to 60 wins. I don't love this play, but I do think the White Sox get to 65 wins or more this season.
Minnesota Twins - under 86.5 wins
I'm a self-professed hater of the Twins. I think they are one of the more overrated teams in baseball. They somehow squeaked out 87 wins last season. This was the second straight division win. This offseason didn't see them do al that much. Sonny Gray, their best pitcher from last season is gone. Their biggest addition was Carlos Santana, which isn't all that impressive because he is going to be 38 very soon. I don't trust this team to win this many games, even in a bad division.
Houston Astros - over 92.5 wins
I can't tell you that the Astros had a World Series hangover last season, but they did struggle a bit to start the season. They also didn't have Jose Altuve to start the year. This team has one of the deepest rosters in baseball and should be able to keep their offense rolling. The pitching staff is the biggest issue that I have with the team. Justin Verlander is going to start the season on the injured list, but it might not matter. That actually might be better for the Astros in the playoffs. Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier are good players, but I feel like the other three are somewhat question marks.
Los Angeles Angels - under 72.5 wins
One last one that I like here is the Angels to be (remain) one of the worst teams in baseball. Looking at their linuep, a casual baseball fan can probably recognize two names in their everyday lineup. They have Mike Trout, who will be injured at some point this season, and Anthony Rendon who apparently hates playing baseball. Their pitching staff is terrible, it is one of the worst in the league. I just don't see this team doing much and they have three very good teams in their division. Oh, and did I mention their best player left for the National League? Yep, Shohei Ohtani is on the Dodgers now. The under is the play of them.
- David
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