The 2017 Houston Astros provided a classic lesson about how difficult it can be to successfully beat the futures World Series Odds. Most everyone was drooling over the powerful and prohibitive favorite Los Angeles Dodgers for most of 2017. Meanwhile the Astros were being written off. When Hurricane Harvey blew apart the city of Houston the “wise guys” said the Astros were done. They claimed Houston would never be able to overcome the challenges associated with Harvey. Instead, of course, the Astros used Harvey as a most powerful intangible rallying cry to win the World Series. Houston upset the heavily favored Dodgers in the Fall Classic. As for 2018, if recent history holds form, the actual winner will again be a dog found further down the board.
The New York Yankees are favored to win the 2018 World Series at 5/1, with the Astros and Dodgers right behind as 6/1 choices. Other top favorites with the World Series Odds include the Cleveland Indians at 15/2 and Chicago Cubs at 9/1. The Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals opened at 10/1. The Los Angeles Angels were at 16/1. The Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants were all at 20/1. At 25/1 were the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, and Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees are getting a lot of press for replacing manager Joe Girardi. Others have doubts about the wisdom of firing Gentleman Joe.
2018 MLB World Series Odds
Date and Time: MLB Opening Day is March 29, 2018
Among the favorites that can likely be written off are the Astros, Diamondbacks and Rockies. The last time there has been a repeat World Series champion was with the New York Yankees in 1999-2000. In 2012 Major League Baseball added two additional wild card teams to the post season and that has made repeating as a champion even more difficult. That makes the Astros, as good as they are, easy to eliminate as a pick. The Rockies and Diamondbacks both exceeded expectations last year. Like a stock, it’s probable Arizona and Colorado will have a “market correction” this season. The 2017 Dodgers put together a remarkable five month stretch of blistering hot profit taking. But that same LA team suffered its own market correction in September and was never really the same after that.
Public offshore betting teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Cubs simply don’t offer enough true value to be worthwhile. That leads to teams that may serve as worthwhile choices. These would be teams that offer a real possibility of victory with a price that makes sense.
Matchup to Watch
The list of top potential betting values with the World Series Odds include Washington, the LA Angels, St. Louis, and Minnesota. Washington provides the essential championship element of quality pitching. St. Louis offers the advantage of a stable quality organization. The Angels offer a talented team that is overdue for success. Minnesota is an up and coming team on the rise like the Astros were last year.
World Series Betting Odds Picks
This season looks like a good one to get back with the St. Louis Cardinals. The public has soured on them, which means extra value. This is still a quality franchise that can be had at a bargain.
World Series Betting Online Pick: St. Louis Cardinals 20/1.
