We are nearly two months through the MLB regular season and are starting to see how these teams are stacking up against each other.
Below, we will take a look at the current World Series odds as well as the MLB divisional odds and discuss how the teams have fared a little more than seven weeks into the season.
Key Facts
- Offensively, the Rays rank 1st in batting average, OPS, and home runs, while their pitching staff owns the No. 1 ERA in the league. Little wonder why they also have the best record in baseball.
- The Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. is having an MVP-caliber season, and based on the way the 25-year-old, 3x All-Star, is swinging the bat, he is projected to end with 40 home runs and 100 RBI to go along with his current .344 batting average.
- The Dodgers rank a dismal 23rd in team batting average (.233) but are No. 3 in runs scored, averaging an impressive 5.4 runs per game.
- The Astros will be coming like a freight train as soon as they get healthy. Jose Altuve just arrived, but Michael Brantley and Lance McCullers Jr. will be returning, and several pitchers will be back in uniform as well.
- Sonny Gray currently has the lowest ERA in baseball, while teammate Joe Ryan is tied for second in wins and is No. 3 in WHIP. Both Twins pitchers are American League Cy Young frontrunners.
Below are the MLB World Series odds as of May 25, courtesy of BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review).
American League
AL East
Preseason AL East Projected Winner: Tampa Bay Rays (2023 Record – 104-61)
In a day and age when most teams can’t get enough pitching, the Rays lose two top-tier hurlers in Drew Rasmussen (60 Day IL) and Jeffrey Springs (Tommy John – Out) and they just keep on steamrolling the competition.
Offensively, the Rays rank 1st in batting average, OPS, and home runs, while their pitching staff owns the No. 1 ERA in the league. Little wonder why they also have the best record in baseball.
However, if it’s value you seek for your betting picks, then look no further than the upstart Baltimore Orioles. They are just 2½ games removed from the top spot in the AL East with betting odds of +800 to win the division and +5000 to win the World Series.
AL Central
Preseason AL Central Projected Winner: Minnesota Twins (2023 Record – 93-69)
If pitching alone won championships, then the Minnesota Twins could be a terrific value at +2000 to win it all this season. Sonny Gray currently has the lowest ERA in baseball, while teammate Joe Ryan is tied for second in wins and is No. 3 in WHIP. Both Twins pitchers are American League Cy Young frontrunners.
The No. 3 man in Minnesota’s rotation, Pablo Lopez, is ranked No. 5 in strikeouts while his team leads the league in K’s.
However, Minnesota has the luxury of residing in the penthouse of arguably the worst division in the league, as evidenced by the Twins being the only team above .500 in the AL Central. And it’s a good thing because otherwise, they would be jockeying for second or third place in just about any other division.
AL West
Preseason AL West Projected Winner: Houston Astros (2023 Record – 98-64)
The Texas Rangers entered the season at +4500 to win the World Series at many of the best US sportsbooks, but those odds have plummeted to +2000 as of this writing. And a quick glance at the standings will tell you why, as the Rangers are in first place in the AL West, atop the defending World Series champs, the Houston Astros.
We should also note that Texas has the second-best +/- differential in the league, trailing only the Tampa Bay Rays. However, the Astros will be coming like a freight train as soon as they get healthy.
Jose Altuve just arrived, but Michael Brantley and Lance McCullers Jr. will be returning, and several pitchers will be back in uniform as well. There’s a reason why the Astros are still the oddsmakers’ choice to win the West, and that’s a big part of it.
National League
NL East
Preseason NL East Projected Winner: Atlanta Braves (2023 Record – 106-56)
The Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. is having an MVP-caliber season, and based on the way the 25-year-old, 3x All-Star, is swinging the bat, he is projected to end with 40 home runs and 100 RBI to go along with his current .344 batting average. Acuna is also No. 2 in steals, behind only Oakland’s Esteury Ruiz.
Miami’s speedy second-baseman, Luis Arraez, is currently tops in batting average, hitting a sizzling .382. But let’s not forget that Arraez is no one-hit wonder, bringing a .316 lifetime batting average into this season over his four years in the bigs.
As an aside, the Marlins are only 5½ games removed from the top spot in the NL East and are fetching pricey odds of +1800 in case you want a value bet.
NL Central
Preseason NL Central Projected Winner: Milwaukee Brewers (2023 Record – 88-74)
The Milwaukee Brewers are in the top spot in the NL Central, but they are only there because there is really no one to challenge them. The Pittsburgh Pirates made a surprising early run, but they have started to fade and won’t be around when the dog days of summer roll around.
The only other team that we can see contending for the NL Central is the St. Louis Cardinals, but they are far from world-beaters, with a sub-.500 record and currently five games behind the Brewers.
The Cubs are also tied with the Cards, but their chances of hanging in the home stretch of the season are far less likely given their bullpen woes, currently ranked 25th in the league.
NL West
Preseason NL West Projected Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers (2023 Record – 104-58)
The Dodgers rank a dismal 23rd in team batting average (.233) but are No. 3 in runs scored, averaging an impressive 5.4 runs per game. Aside from Big Blue’s embarrassment of riches with Mookie Betts, Julio Urias, and Freddie Freeman, they have a catcher in Will Smith, who is ripping the cover off the ball while the leading candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year, James Outman, is patrolling LA’s centerfield.
Oh, and if that’s not enough, the Dodgers’ Max Muncy is leading the National League in home runs. But despite all that talent, the Dodgers have a tenuous grasp on first place and are a bewildering .500 on the road. That should turn around as the season progresses, but if it doesn’t, the Padres are in the rearview mirror.
*The line and/or odds in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
Calculators
