The first month of the Major League Baseball season is in the books. Most of the rust should be shaken off by now. As May gets underway, BetDSI Sportsbook has updated their odds to win the World Series and the American League. Here is a closer look at the American League futures in terms of who has impressed, who has disappointed and who is now favored.
The New York Yankees and the Houston Astros are American League co-favorites at +250. As of Tuesday, the Astros were 20-10 and the Yankees were 18-10. The Astros’ bats are starting to heat up, but their pitching is keeping them on top of the American League as they rank first in ERA, quality starts, WHIP and BAA. For all of the big bats in the New York lineup, such as Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez, another name is leading the way. Didi Gregorius had a massive April and if he can sustain it, the Yankees will be hard to beat. That being said, their pitching needs to be a little bit better, especially the shaky starting rotation.
The Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians are next at +350, with the Red Sox coming in at 21-7 and the Indians at 15-12. The Red Sox are balanced right now with good pitching and hitting, and their battles with the rival Yankees should be a joy to watch this season. The Indians are being carried by their pitching right now as their hitting is taking a while to get going. Fortunately for the Indians, they’re in the Central, which is the weakest of the American League divisions. Therefore, they should be fine to cruise to first place for the third year in a row.
The Los Angeles Angels at +1200 should probably be considered the biggest surprise of the season so far. Mike Trout is Mike Trout, and he is still far and away the best player in baseball. However, Shohei Ohtani has been much better than expected for the Angels, who are 16-12. He has been great at the plate and shown glimpses of greatness on the mound. If he stays healthy, the Angels should at least be able to push Houston in the West. They should be a wild-card contender in the American League.
The Baltimore Orioles are rated at +45000 to win the American League pennant and while no one expects them to win it, a record of 8-20 isn’t a good look. Manny Machado has been excellent for the Orioles, but he is a free agent after this season. If the Orioles continue to lose like this, they might as well start taking trade calls on Machado. The same goes for Adam Jones, a well-respected player who is also a free agent next year and deserves a chance to play for a winner if he chooses to. But the Orioles are low in the rankings for both pitching and hitting, and this might be the time to blow it up. They’ll be one of the teams to watch at the trade deadline.
