There’s plenty of parity in Major League Baseball nowadays, making it far more likely that a team not considered a favorite will be atop the World Series mountain in October.
That’s why I’m not wasting my time with the favorites in Major League Baseball this year. The Kansas City Royals have continually been downgraded, and look what they did last season.
As I combed through the World Series futures, I found a few value picks that would make sense if betting to win the Fall Classic.
Cleveland Indians, +2000
Now’s the time for Cleveland. I expected the Indians to put it together last year, but that didn’t happen. At some point, the Royals are going to take a step back, while others in the American League Central Division will make strides to be better. This is that year.
If the Indians can get to the playoffs, they can be dangerous. The starting rotation features Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer. Those four pitchers have all shown the ability to strike people out at a staggering pace and they would be a matchup nightmare for anyone in the playoffs. If the offense can get going, the Indians would be a tough out come playoff time.
Arizona Diamondbacks, +2500
I can’t take credit for this one. My brother alerted me of his support for the Diamondbacks, and upon further examination, I agree.
The pitching was really bad last season, so the Diamondbacks strengthened the rotation with Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller. That makes for a solid one-two punch each week, which should complement an already stellar offense.
A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt are studs and will likely be a consistent threat again. Welington Castillo and Yasmany Tomas can hit for power and may be a major piece to the puzzle if Arizona gets over the hump this season.
Seattle Mariners, +4000
Sometimes you can’t always find a complete team, and the Mariners definitely aren’t that. But Seattle does some things great, which can propel them to a better season than expected.
Their infield is filthy, with Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager and Adam Lind offering power and quality batting averages. Add in young shortstop Ketel Marte, and the Mariners may have one of the best infields in Major League Baseball.
Look at the potential lineup, featuring Seager, Nelson Cruz, Cano and Adam Lind in the two-through-five spots. That’s a lineup that should be able to produce firepower.
And while the starting pitching isn’t great, it still has Felix Hernandez, who can dominate. Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker also add value to this staff, making me excited for their upside this coming season.
