2012 MLB World Series Future Odds Update

July 9, 2012

2012 MLB World Series Future Odds Update

MLB World Series Futures Odds Update-8/1/12 See Bottom for full MLB Odds

The start of July marks the end of the first half on the MLB regular season and after next week’s All-Star break, the race to this season’s World Series in October really starts to heat up. The following is a look at a few of the top contenders to win this season’s world title along with their updated odds as provided by Bovada.

The Favorites

The Philadelphia Phillies started the season as 11/2 odds-on-favorites to win this year’s World Series but have slipped to 75/1 after everything that could go wrong did with an rapidly aging ball club. In their place are another perennial favorite at 9/2 the Texas Rangers. Texas has already made it to the last two World Series before losing to San Francisco in 2010 and St. Louis last season. It has everything in place for another deep run with the best record in baseball at 50-30 as a direct result of a lineup that has highest team batting average (.284) and most runs scored (427) in the Majors through this past weekend’s games. The Rangers have the eighth-best team ERA in the Majors at 3.66, easily making them the complete package to win it all.

Do not look now, but the New York Yankees have made a mid-season run to the top of the AL East after an unexpected slow start. They went 20-7 in the month of June and have opened-up a six-game lead over Baltimore in what had been a very tight race for most of the season. There are some definite injury concerns with both CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte currently on the DL, but both should be back healthy for the season’s stretch run. The Yankees opened the season as 13/2 second-favorites to win it all and are currently 5/1 second-favorites behind Texas. The big question will be their ability to get over the hump that has knocked them out of the postseason the past two years.

The Contenders

The Cincinnati Reds have the best odds in the National League to win the World Series at 10/1 after opening the season at 20/1. The Reds are currently 43-35 and clinging to a one-game lead over the suddenly pesky Pittsburgh Pirates, but the second-half of the season has a way of separating the contenders from the pretenders. Cincinnati has a team ERA of 3.48, which is fourth-best in the Majors and while its bats have not been as potent as in the past, this team is still averaging 4.24 runs per game.

The Washington Nationals at 6/1 With the likes of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper on their roster, everyone knew that the Nationals would contend in the NL East someday, but they are ahead of schedule with a 3.5-game lead over the resilient New York Mets and a 4.5-game lead over Atlanta. Washington has shown the staying power so far with an overall record of 45-32. It should be able to hold on to win the division, but its youth and inexperience in postseason play could lead to its eventual downfall in the playoffs this season.

The Longshot

The Chicago White Sox started the season at 65/1 odds to win the 2012 World Series and half-way in to the regular season, they are now moderate 12/1 longshots to pull off this feat. Chicago is 42-37 on the year and a game and a half ahead of Cleveland in the AL Central. Detroit is once again waiting in the weeds just three games back, but so far the White Sox have been able to hold the Tigers at bay. Chicago’s pitching is not spectacular but more than adequate with a 3.96 team ERA. It has also done a fairly decent job knocking the ball around the park with an average of 4.66 runs per game. This is definitely a team that could fade down the stretch, but right now it deserves a second look in light of the value in its current odds.

With the trade deadline passing Tuesday in major league baseball teams are stocking up on talent for their playoff runs. The biggest winners after the trade deadline were the Los Angeles Angles that moved form 10/1* to 15/2, the Los Angeles Dodgers moving from 22/1* to 14/1 and finally the San Francisco Giants that moved form 15/1* to 12/1.

*Odds taken from 1 week before the trade deadline for comparison purposes

Odds to win the 2012 World Series

New York Yankees 19/4

Texas Rangers 5/1

Los Angeles Angels 15/2

Washington Nationals 9/1

Cincinnati Reds 10/1

Detroit Tigers 10/1

San Francisco Giants 12/1

Atlanta Braves 14/1

Los Angeles Dodgers 14/1

Chicago White Sox 20/1

St. Louis Cardinals 22/1

Boston Red Sox 25/1

Pittsburgh Pirates 25/1

Tampa Bay Rays 25/1

Oakland Athletics 35/1

Arizona Diamondbacks 45/1

Toronto Blue Jays 45/1

Baltimore Orioles 55/1

Cleveland Indians 75/1

Philadelphia Phillies 75/1

Miami Marlins 90/1

New York Mets 100/1

Milwaukee Brewers 225/1

Minnesota Twins 500/1

Seattle Mariners 500/1

Kansas City Royals 600/1

Chicago Cubs 750/1

San Diego Padres 750/1

Colorado Rockies 1000/1

Houston Astros 1000/1

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Dave Schwab

DJ is a freelance writer that concentrates on his true passion in life; the world of sports. He produces a number of articles each week for BangTheBook.com as well as a select group of other websites that specialize in providing the most up-to-date information for the sports gaming industry. His goal is to write insightful articles on a wide variety of sporting topics that can provide an edge to today's sophisticated online player.

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