It’s Opening Day for the 2019 Major League Baseball season, which means that all of the franchises in the American and National Leagues are starting even, with at least mathematically equal chances to win the Commissioner’s Trophy this November as World Series champions. We know, of course, that some teams have bigger payrolls than others, and some teams have outperformed others in the past, but for now there is optimism in all markets. We have put together some early MLB betting picks and predictions for the season ahead, for those who enjoy including futures in their World Series betting.
Early 2019 MLB Season Betting Picks & Predictions
Baseball is almost here and the defending champion Red Sox start the season at the top in our Opening Day MLB rankings 📈 The rest: https://t.co/5K27k9RQ3f pic.twitter.com/ZaXGWFG5l9
— ESPN (@espn) 27 de marzo de 2019
American League East
The defending champions are in Boston, and despite winning 108 games last year, they could have gotten even more from their roster, as Chris Sale missed significant time with injury, and Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi could contribute more. Nathan Eovaldi and Eduardo Rodriguez will now be in the rotation for a full season. Could J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts keep raking? Then there are the Yankees, who are a year more developed and who have to be hungry to beat their Beantown rivals. Luis Severino’s shoulder is a concern for the rotation, but the Pinstripes’ batting order might be even stouter than the one in Boston.American League Central
Cleveland seems to be the consensus pick, but the Tribe is already rumored to be shopping ace Corey Kluber. The Indians do have the best rotation in the division, but the Minnesota Twins have the better batting order. Pitching and defense often wins championships, but if the Indians struggle to score runs like they did last year, Minnesota could flip the script in a competitive division.American League West
Houston should run away with this division. But Oakland also cracked 90 wins last year, and their defense has Matt Chapman, who was an MVP candidate in 2018, and center fielder Ramon Laureano. The Astros extended Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander, and even with letting Dallas Keuchel walk in free agency, Houston has the rotation, the bullpen and the bats to win a soft division.Our MLB Betting Predictions:
- AL East Champs: Boston
- AL Central Champs: Minnesota
- AL West Champs: Houston
- Wild Cards: N.Y. Yankees, Cleveland
- Pennant: Houston
National League East
Philadelphia has added the pieces that they needed to push past Washington and win the division. Catcher J.T. Realmuto coming from Miami was a huge addition, as was Andrew McCutchen to the outfield – and that’s even before we talk about Bryce Harper coming up I-95 from DC. Atlanta also has a young, talented team, but the additions that the Phillies made make them the favorite.National League Central
The Chicago Cubs tied Milwaukee for the most wins in the senior circuit but then lost the division tiebreaker and lost the wild card game to Colorado. The rotation this year is creaky, with Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels serving as two of the staples. However, Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber are all looking to rebound from tough years. St. Louis added Paul Goldschmidt and looks to make some noise once again.National League West
The L.A. Dodgers appear to be the consensus favorite, but I’m not sure why. Clayton Kershaw won’t be healthy to start the year, and Walker Buehler also still seems to be gassed. Colorado is an interesting pick, as Kyle Freeland and German Marquez are solid starters, and Nolan Arenado should put together another big season. Then there are the San Diego Padres, who swiped Manny Machado from the Dodgers.Our MLB Betting Predictions:
- NL East Champs: Philadelphia
- NL Central Champs: St. Louis
- NL West Champs: Colorado
- Wild Cards: Atlanta, Chicago Cubs
- Pennant: Philadelphia
