Sports Betting Futures: Top Mid-Season Picks For MLB, WNBA MVP, and MLS
The summer is just getting underway, but the races for the top playoff spots for all three major league sports in season have already heated up. Who are the odds on the favorite to win the championship, and other major awards in MLB, WNBA MVP, and MLS? I will look at the best bets for each award.
Read about other betting odds.
Yankees and Dodgers are the Favorites to Win World Series
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have been the best two teams in the majors thus far in the early going. As a result, it is not a surprise that they are the favorites to win the 2022 World Series though the Yankees have really seen their betting odds dwindle since the beginning of the season.
Prior to the season, Los Angeles was seen as the favorite to claim the title, but the Yankees and Dodgers are now both listed at around 4-to-1, actual odds vary depending on the sports book. The Dodgers and Yankees are one of four teams in the majors with 50 wins near the halfway mark of the season with 50 wins, New York leads the way with 58 victories (heading into Tuesday’s action). Both teams also rank in the top three of the league in both pitching and hitting and are the only squads with a plus-100 run differential.
While the Dodgers, who won’t have Walker Buehler for the next two months, and Yankees have shown to be the best two teams there are other top contenders. Houston, at 5-to-1 odds, is generally considered to be the third choice by Vegas to capture the title. However don’t sleep on the New York Mets at around 7-to-1.
The Mets have a top 10 offense, although they do have a few holes in the lineup to fill prior to the trade deadline. They also have a solid pitching staff despite not having two of the their best starters for much of the season. The good news is that Max Scherzer returned from an oblique injury on Tuesday and Jacob deGrom looked good in his short rehab stint in Saint Lucie on Sunday.
Other Baseball Awards
For some of the other awards, Aaron Judge is the prohibitive favorite to win AL MVP at less than even money odds as he leads the league in home runs and is fifth in RBI. For value, however, bettors should consider Yordan Alvarez, who has 10-to-1 or higher odds. Alvarez tops the majors in sluggling percentage and OPS while aslo ranking second in homers and the top 20 in batting average.
Paul Goldschmidt is the favorite to win NL MVP and should win the award as long as he doesn’t get injured or go into a prolong slump. The AL and NL Cy Young awards are a toss up with Shane McClanahan and Justin Verlander topping the American list while Sandy Alcantra, Joe Musgrove, along with wild card Tony Gonsolin headline the NL group.
WNBA: Aja Wilson and Chicago Sky Are Best Bets To Win WNBA MVP and Title, Respectively
The WNBA is about ready to enter its all-star break this weekend, so it is a fantastic time to look at who are the best bets to claim the title. It appears to be a three-team race with betting favorites Vegas (around even money) and Chicago (3-to-1) standing out though there are around five clubs that could take the crown.
The Aces (16-5) have owned the WNBA best record throughout, but are just 6-4 over the last 10 games as defense and offensive rebounding has been a problem.
Meanwhile, the Sky (15-5) are playing the best basketball in league, going 8-2 in their last 10, and they are the best shooting team in the league as well as one of the top defensive clubs. The Sky and Aces have split their first two matchups with Chicago winning the latest meeting after overcoming a 28-point deficit.
While Las Vegas and Chicago should meet in the WNBA finals, the Seattle Storm along with Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun also could cut down the nets. The Sun and Mystics are the value picks here as both teams can defend, although Connecticut is better offensively. The Storm are a veteran team but perimeter shooting and rebounding are concerns.
The WNBA MVP race is a two-women battle featuring Aja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. Wilson, who is the overwhelming favorite, is the only player to average a double-double this season (18.1 PPG, 10.1 rebounds),. The 2020 WNBA MVP is shooting the ball, rebounding, and protecting the rim the best she has in her career though consistency on the offensive end has been a little troublesome lately.
Meanwhile, Stewart (4-to-1 odds) leads the league in scoring, player efficiency rating, and defensive win shares. But, the two-time WNBA MVP has not shot the ball consistently well and she has surprisingly not rebounded the ball particularly well. Plus, Wilson has taken three POW awards compared to just one for Stewart.
LAFC and New York City FC Are Best Bets To Win MLS Crown
The MLS is near the halfway point of the 2022 campaign. While there is still a long ways to go, it appears that the Western Conference is a two-team race between LAFC (36 points, +16 goal differential) and Austin FC (34 points, +14 GD).
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference is a little more muddled mess with seven teams with 25 or more points and four clubs with at least 29. However, just three of those teams have a goal differential of greater than +1.
LAFC (3-to-1) and New York FC (9-to-1) are favorites to win claim the MLS title this year due to strong play on both sides. LAFC is 6-3-3 in all competitions over the last two months while NYC is winless in their last five outings.
