There will be 162 games per team to find out which squads will make it to the playoffs. But it’s not about the result, but about the ride. All teams in Major League Baseball will start the season with the same idea: to have a good year. The first month it’s always the cutest. Most teams will talked themselves into thinking this is their year. We need to spend at least three months to separate the contenders from the pretenders and even then, it might be hard to label a real favorite.
As the Chicago Cubs prepare to defense their title (sounds weird just typing that), the rest of the MLB teams look to improve with every outing. The American League wants to the title back.
It’s about pitching, not panicking with a bad or a good start, and of course, it’s about staying healthy.
These are the 2017 American League Division Betting Odds:
AL Central Division
- Cleveland Indians -380
- Detroit Tigers +525
- Kansas City Royals +1150
- Minnesota Twins +2900
- Chicago White Sox +4850
After losing a 3-1 lead in the World Series, one can only hope the Indians have the poise to be back on the big stage. They certainly have the players to go for all once again. But it all starts with the division title. The addition of free agent Edwin Encarnacion will give Cleveland a great bat.
They also have a healthy rotation that can live to the standard. They showed it last season. Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer should carry this bullpen.
The Tigers should have a shot at the division. The sports betting agents listed them second in this division, mainly because is the last chance for this group to make a splash. This is a veteran group of players who have underachieved.
The window for the Royals is rapidly closing. Jason Hammel is a sweet addition to the lineup. But they lost ace Yordano Ventura, who passed away in a car accident in January. On the offensive side, the loss of DH Kendrys Morales could hurt them in the long run. This is basically the last year to make a run at the World Series title before this generation of talents breaks up. The Royals to take a huge step back this season. It seems inevitable.
Minnesota and Chicago are two long- shots who have no chance at this division title.
AL East Division
- Boston Red Sox -155
- Toronto Blue Jays +425
- New York Yankees +550
- Baltimore Orioles +800
- Tampa Bay Rays +1600
The Red Sox must overcome the emotional absent of Big Papi, who retired last season. They will be looking to win back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1915 and 1916, which is insane.
The pay per head sportsbooks set Boston as the favorites mostly due to the pitching rotation. They have a trio of aces in David Price, Rick Porcello and the new addition Chris Sale. They however need a closer or things could get ugly down the stretch.
Toronto will give the Red Sox the most competition inside the AL East division. They added Kendrys Morales and Francisco Liriano, which should help make it closer against Boston. Their rotation led the American League in ERA. They expect this to be the core who can take them deep into the season. But the absent of Edwin Encarnacion could be too much to handle.
MVP candidate Josh Donaldson has too many on his plate. He will be asked to lead an Encarnacion-less offense for most of the year. It’s a little unfair, but that’s the business.
The Yankees are a young team that could give a lot of problems to the top of the division and the pay per head bookies. New York is not ready to advance to the postseason, but they are making the right moves for the future.
However, for the present, the rotation is an issue. Big time. Masahiro Tanaka (14-4, 3.07 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) is the only ace on the team. The problem is he’s coming off an elbow injury. CC Sabathia needs to revive his career. He needs to justify his unreasonable salary at some point. Michael Pineda is a question mark. The pay per head services don’t know what they are getting once he on the mound. They will aim for a wildcard spot but it won’t happen for them.
AL West Division
- Houston Astros +145
- Texas Rangers +265
- Seattle Mariners +265
- Los Angeles Angels +950
- Oakland Athletics +2100
The AL West is one of the most open divisions in baseball. Many things can happen as the online bookie software is not entirely sure who will win the zone. Houston jumps as the favorites because they have an exciting set of young players. George Springer and Jose Altuve are stars on this team. Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman are great role players. Veteran additions Carlos Beltran and Josh Reddick will help the team become a contender in the American League.
The Astros hope Dallas Keuchel finds back his 2015 rhythm. In 2016, he posted a 4.55 ERA and never showed a sign he can deliver like the year before. If he finds his mojo back, Houston will have an As in the bullpen.
Texas brings the biggest challenge for Houston. They own a talented mix of pitching and hitting, power and speed and veterans and youth. Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish in the rotations will give the Rangers a set of pitchers who will be hard to hit. Darvish needs to reestablish himself as a starter in this league. But we all know he has the tools.
Seattle is one of the most difficult teams to predict. On paper, they are loaded with talent, but the pay per head sportsbooks are not buying in. The Mariners should make at least a Wildcard run. Anything less that that is just a bad season.