MLB American League Expert Predictions
Posted by Henry Watkins on Monday,October 3, 2016 3:32, EDT in
There are some who are sure to say that the playoff race in the AL this year was a little anti-climactic, mostly because 2 of the 3 divisions were decided a while back. Those folks must surely have forgotten how much fun the AL East was this year, and how we went down to the final weekend to see who would be playing in the Wild Card, and where. As it turns out, the Baltimore Orioles will head to Toronto to face the Blue Jays, with the winner of that one-game playoff facing the Texas Rangers. The Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians will be the other teams contesting the ALDS. Let’s take a little closer look at the current betting odds of the 5 teams in the AL playoffs.
Here’s A Closer Look At The MLB American League Expert Predictions
Texas Rangers (+150)
The Texas Rangers won the West by 9 games, and never really looked as though they were ever in danger of giving up the top spot once they got there. Texas will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs, which is huge, because they posted a very impressive 53-28 record in their won building this season.
Boston Red Sox (+200)
2016 was a brilliant return to form for a Red Sox team that has underwhelmed for a few years now. This is a team that can overpower you or beat you with pitching. If you don’t believe that statement, just take a look at their impressive +184 run differential, which is second only to the Chicago Cubs this year. This team is a legitimate threat to go all the way.
Cleveland Indians (+250)
The Indians took control of the Central Division pretty early on, and they never really looked back, eventually winning it by 8 games. Given that they were 53-28 at home this season, you might imagine that they would have a distinct edge over the Red Sox in their series, but let’s not forget that Boston put together a very solid record on the road this year. These two teams are about as evenly matched as it gets.
Toronto Blue Jays (+500)
There is a definite sense that this might be the Blue Jays last chance to win it all for a while, as the general consensus is that they are not going to keep all of their major players this offseason. They are going to have to get past the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card game in order to keep their dream alive, but having home field advantage for that one certainly helps their cause.
Baltimore Orioles (+900)
The Orioles are 1 of 3 teams to come out of the AL East and into the postseason this year, but the chances of them making any kind of noise in the playoffs seems to be pretty slim. They have a 4-6 record against the Jays in Toronto this year, and are going to have to find a way to buck that losing trend in the Wild Card game.
How many times have we seen a team ride all the way to a championship when they have a beloved player playing in his final season? Call it a hunch, but I think the Red Sox get the job done for David Ortiz, which is why I think they will represent the AL in the World Series.
