We have officially come to the halfway point of the 2021 MLB season and teams are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. The trade deadline is not far away, so we’ll see which teams make their move. For now, let’s take a look at the latest odds to win the pennants and see who is in the running.
American League Favorites
The Houston Astros (+200) currently have the best odds to walk away with the American League pennant at this point in the season. They are heavily considered to have the best offense in the entire American League, which has helped propel them to a terrific 61-39 record. They lead the American League in runs scored and team batting average, and are second in OPS.
What’s interesting to note is that they’re favored to win even though the Boston Red Sox (+475) have the best record. They’re at 62-39 on the year and are red hot right now as they’ve won six of their last seven contests. Their .442 team slugging percentage is second best in the AL.
Right behind the Astros – in terms of the odds – are the Chicago White Sox (+275). They have a 59-41 record on the season but there has been concerns regarding their losing record against teams above .500 on the year. They are 35-15 on the year when playing a team with a winning record and just 24-26 otherwise. That lends some bettors to be skeptical because they’ll have to go through a number of teams with winning records to win the American League Pennant in the playoffs. Can they pull it off?
National League Favorites
Flipping over to the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers (+175) hold the best odds to win the pennant this year. This entire conference is completely stacked from top to bottom, but the Dodgers have proven to be one step ahead of the pack. The defending champs currently have a +155 run differential, which is tops in all of baseball.
With a tough division rival in the San Francisco Giants, though, they could get tripped up on their path to a division crown. The Giants (+500) currently have the best record in the NL West.
Sticking in the division, the San Diego Padres (+450) were knocking on the door of the pennant last season but unfortunately weren’t able to seal the deal. They are tied for the second-best odds to win it this year (with the New York Mets) but find themselves in a really tough division.
San Diego has a record of 58-44, which puts them 5.5 games out of first place in the division. However, they just got a boost by acquiring All-Star Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates. They may find themselves in one of the hardest divisions in all of baseball, but they have a few star players of their own to keep themselves afloat — with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Yu Darvish leading the way.