MLB Futures: Best Values to Win 2019 AL Pennant

We are nearly two months into the 2019 regular season and it is never too early to start pondering the question: Who will win the Pennant? Below are the current odds for the 15 teams in the American League to win the Pennant come October. Let’s take a closer look at a handful of some of the teams with the best chances to represent the American League in the 2019 Fall Classic.

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Team	Record	Odds
Houston Astros	29-15	+150
New York Yankees	26-16	+250
Boston Red Sox	23-20	+500
Tampa Bay Rays	26-15	+550
Minnesota Twins	27-15	+800
Cleveland Indians	22-19	+850
Seattle Mariners	22-23	+2000
Los Angeles Angels	20-23	+3300
Oakland Athletics	19-25	+3300
Texas Rangers	18-22	+8000
Chicago White Sox	19-22	+9000
Detroit Tigers	18-23	+10000
Toronto Blue Jays	17-25	+10000
Kansas City Royals	15-28	+50000
Baltimore Orioles	14-28	+65000

 

Houston Astros (+150)
After a slow start to the season, the Astros have picked up the pace. They currently possess the best record in the majors (29-15) and have won nine out of their last 10 as well. At the moment, they lead the league in hits (9.61/gm), home runs (1.89/gm) and collective batting average (0.282). In addition, they sit second in the entire league for runs scored (5.57/gm). All of these factors are the makings of an elite and efficiently run offense. Furthermore, the Astros are within the top five in earned runs against per game (3.43), strikeouts (9.86), hits allowed (6.69), and walks surrendered (2.63) per nine innings. With an elite offense and pitching, it is no wonder this squad has the best odds of winning the AL Pennant.

New York Yankees (+250)
The Yankees still have the second-best odds to represent the American League come October even with all the early-season injuries suffered. If the season were to end today, New York would qualify with the first wild-card berth and a date with the Cleveland Indians in the Bronx for a one-game elimination showdown. Luckily, there is still a long way to go and if the Rays falter at all, New York will be right there to claim the top spot in the AL East, making their path to winning the Pennant slightly easier. With a top-10 pitching staff in terms of earned runs allowed (3.69/gm – seventh) and the sixth-best run differential in the league (+40.0), expect to see New York in the thick of the Pennant race once again this year.

Boston Red Sox (+500)
While Boston sits third within the AL East, they still hold the third-best odds of defending their 2018 American League Championship title. The Red Sox are surging right now winning eight out of their last 10 and have finally risen over the .500 mark. They are currently averaging 7.00 runs per game which is the third-most in the league over the last three games played. Furthermore, Boston still has a majority of their 2018 Championship corps intact with key players such as Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and Chris Sale, to name a few. Also, once Dustin Pedroia and David Price return from the disabled list, the Red Sox will only get stronger as Autumn approaches. Do not be shocked if Boston defends their title as American League Champions this post-season.

Tampa Bay Rays (+550)
The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of bigger pleasant surprises of the 2019 regular season thus far. Currently sitting atop the AL East with a 26-15 record they are looking like serious threats for the Red Sox and Yankees to deal with when the Pennant race begins to heat up. While they do possess the best record in the AL East, they are ranked slightly lower due to playoff inexperience and preseason expectations. Tampa Bay has not been to the playoffs since 2013 making the majority of their team less seasoned than their other rivals. With one of the best pitching staffs at preventing teams from scoring runs this year (2.85 runs/gm), and the second-best run differential in the league (+62.0), the Rays could possibly turn some heads in the post-season if they can keep this up.

Minnesota Twins (+800)
Minnesota is hoping that 2018 was an anomaly and that 2019 will be a more successful season. So far it has been, as they hold a 4.5-game lead over the Cleveland Indians for first place in the AL Central. The Twins are one of the more defensively sound teams in the majors as they have currently committed the 10th-least number of errors (0.48/game) and have only allowed 3.76 runs per game (eighth-least). While the Twins may not have as much star power as other teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Astros, they are a strong cohesive group that so far has been working really well together. Minnesota is definitely one of those dark-horse candidates for a Pennant title if they can get hot at the right moment come October.

Cleveland Indians (+850)
Right now the Indians hold the final wild-card spot in the AL playoff picture. For the last three years or so, the Indians have appeared in the AL Pennant race conversation but usually end up falling short of expectations. The one exception came in 2016 when they did win the Pennant, but fell to the Cubs in seven games in the World Series. I fear that Cleveland’s window of opportunity is closing quickly and there may not be many more chances left to capture that elusive title with this current corps. It needs to be a now or never type of attitude with Cleveland if they are to finally get to the top of the mountain. Much like the Minnesota Twins, the Indians are another dark-horse candidate to claim the AL Pennant.

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Matthew Catalano is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @MatthewCatala16.