The 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star break is quickly approaching, which makes this the ideal time to take a look at World Series futures. While we still have a long way to go in the season, the contenders and pretenders are starting to emerge. Let’s take a closer look at the latest odds to win it all.
The World Series Favorites
The New York Yankees (+450) are miles ahead of the rest of the AL East and league right now. They currently hold onto a 13.5-game lead in the division with a 58-22 overall record. To make it even more impressive, they have an unbelievable run differential of +162. To put this into perspective, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the second closest with +138. Outside of that, no team is over +100 at the moment.
The next with be the team that we just talked about: the Dodgers (+425). Los Angeles has dealt with their fair share of injuries throughout the year but they are 20 games above .500 right now and are leading their division by three games. They boast one of the best pitching staffs in the league led by Tony Gonsolin, who is also 10-0 right now with the top ERA in the league. This team has experience and talent and won’t shy away from making a move at the trade deadline if they need to.
One other prime contender is the Houston Astros (+550), who have been one of the best in baseball this year. They have won six straight and have been showing their talent against the league’s premier teams – including the Yankees. On top of that, they hold a large 14-game lead in their division and are sitting at a run differential of +90. Pitching has really been their strong suit as they are the second-best team in the league when it comes to ERA at 2.89. They also have the second-most wins in the league, two ahead of the Dodgers and seven back of the Yankees.
The World Series Longshots
The San Diego Padres (+1500) are currently listed as longshots to win it all this season. When it comes to their record, this is a squad that can compete, as they are just three games behind the division-leading Dodgers. San Diego was able to get a huge boost with Manny Machado returning from his injury but there are far more questions that this team is yet to answer offensively. For example, they are 19th in OPS this season, 15th in team batting average and have hit the 24th most home runs in the league at 67. Getting Fernando Tatis Jr. back will help.
Alongside them is the Atlanta Braves (+1200), who are the defending champs. Atlanta is flying up the rankings rather quickly after putting together a 21-6 overall record throughout June. This huge month has helped them get close to the division-leading New York Mets. Home runs have been a large factor in their success, as the team has the second most with 122.
Lastly, we have the Boston Red Sox (+2500). Unfortunately, the Red Sox are in the same division as the Yankees, making it very hard to take the lead. However, they’ve been able to put together a strong month of June and pulled themselves to 45-35. Despite the fact that it’s 13 games behind the Yankees, Boston has been crushing it in the batting department. They are second in the league in batting average, first in total hits, and eighth in runs scored. The only downside has been homers, as they rank 21st in that department.