Surprise MLB Teams That Are Shaking Up The 2017 World Series Odds

We are more than one-third of the way through the 2017 Major League Baseball season. As with every year, there are a few surprise teams thus far. Here’s a look at three of them and their MLB futures odds to win the 2017 World Series.

Surprise MLB Teams That Are Shaking Up The 2017 World Series Odds

FACT: Chris Herrmann’s team has never lost a game he’s homered in (18 HR in 17 wins). #TheHerrmannator pic.twitter.com/4PHg6i4pZc

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 12, 2017

Arizona Diamondbacks (+1800)

I could probably have picked the Colorado Rockies here as they lead the NL West, but Arizona has been arguably more surprising as the Rox were a chic wild-card pick for 2017. The Snakes are hanging in the division race despite playing for weeks without their second-best player, outfielder AJ Pollock. Pollock (groin) is expected to run the bases sometime this week. If he is cleared to progress in his rehab, manager Torey Lovullo said he would like Pollock to play in some minor-league rehab game before he is able to re-join the big club. Fellow OF Yasmany Tomas (groin) is also out and won’t play this week. Tomas will remain in Arizona at the team’s spring training facility to start baseball activities. He is making his way back from a right groin injury and will not come off the 10-day disabled list when eligible on June 16. Paul Goldschmidt has been carrying a big load and is an NL MVP candidate. On Sunday, he had the first grand slam of his career at Chase Field and the fourth overall in his career. He moved into sole possession of second place on the franchise’s all-time homers list with 154, breaking a tie with Steve Finley. His first-inning double also gave him a franchise record for reaching base in 38 consecutive games at home. Arizona is 11-6 (.647) in games decided by 1 run, the second-best mark in the NL and ranks fourth in the Majors, behind the Rockies (.818; 9-2), Twins (.692; 9-4) and Astros (.692; 9-4).

Milwaukee Brewers (+6500)

There’s a surprise leader in the NL’s Central Division as well as the Brewers are ahead of the defending World Series champion Cubs. Milwaukee is about to get better too with the return of the team’s best player, outfielder Ryan Braun, the former NL MVP. Braun (calf) resumed running this weekend and is close to beginning a minor league rehab assignment. He resumed running at 50 percent effort on Friday and was able to run at 75-80 percent on Saturday. Braun should be cleared for a rehab assignment once he gets up to 100 percent. The former MVP claims to be “pain-free” and said he sees a “light at the end of the tunnel.” The Brewers are 16-12 on the road this season, going 4-3- 2 in series play. The team went 32-49 on the road last season, going 5-16- 5 in series play. However, cracks are starting to show. ’The bullpen has a 4.48 ERA, ranking 20th among the 30 clubs. The Brewers’ relief corps leads the majors with 18 losses, a reflection of how many games have gotten away in the late going. Milwaukee’s bullpen already has logged 231 innings, the second-most in the majors. The guys are wearing down because the starters aren’t going deep into games.

Minnesota Twins (+4500)

If you had the Minnesota Twins leading the AL Central at this point of the season after finishing with the worst record in baseball in 2016 – earning them the No. 1 overall pick in Monday night’s draft – then you are smarter than I am. I sure didn’t see this coming. Better than last year? Sure, but not leading a division. The team is getting huge seasons from ace Ervin Santana and third baseman Miguel Sano. Santana pitched his third shutout of the year Friday and knocked in three runs in a 4-0 win over the Giants. The three RBI all came on his double off Matt Moore in the fourth. It’s crazy how good Santana has been while striking out just 63 in 90 innings. He now has as many shutouts in 2017 that he did the previous six years combined, and he still almost four months to become the first AL starter with more than three shutouts in a year since 2011. He’s 8-3 with a 2.20 ERA. Sano is an MVP candidate, hitting .292 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs as of this writing. The Twins are also a good defensive team. They rank first in defensive efficiency (.714), which judges a percentage of balls in play that are converted to outs. They have committed just 22 errors this season, the second fewest in baseball, trailing only Kansas City (21). Last season, the Twins finished second in baseball in team errors (126), trailing only Milwaukee (136).