Handicapping 2012 World Series Betting Odds
The Cardinals won the World Series last season, but with Pujols gone it will be tough to repeat and the Phillies, Yankees, and Pujols’ new team of the Angels have the best odds to win the World Series this season.
Here is a look at the team with the 10 best odds to win the World Series.
Philadelphia Phillies 11/2
The Phillies still have Roy Halliday, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hammels and they made a big move in the off-season spending a lot of money to sign closer Jonathan Papelbon. The staff will be solid again and with an offense with the likes of Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Raul Ibanez the Phillies should have no problem scoring runs.
New York Yankees 13/2
The Yankees bolstered their rotation by trading for Michael Pineda and with CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova the New York pitching staff may be better than last season. Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano lead a great offense and that may even be better this season if A-Rod can bounce back.
Los Angeles Angels 7/1
The Angels had a great off-season not only signing Pujols, but also starting pitcher C.J. Wilson from the Rangers. The staff is solid with Jared Weaver, Dan Harren, and Wilson, but even with Albert the offense is a concern. Tori Hunter is getting up in age and while Vernon Wells hit 25 HR last season he hit below .220 and he is also a defensive liability. Still, any team that has Pujols teamed with a good rotation has a shot.
Boston Red Sox 10/1
The Red Sox are in the mix again and the fans have to be happy that J.D. Drew is gone. Josh Beckett needs to stay healthy and Jon Lackey needs to forget about his nightmare of last season. Closer Andrew Bailey will have to take over for the departed Jonathan Papelbon.
Detroit Tigers 8/1
The Tigers have Ace Justin Verlander coming off a Cy Young season and the Tigers won the Prince Fielder sweepstakes. Fielder and Miguel Cabrera give Detroit one of the best 1-2 offensive punches in the Majors. Fielder and company will have to help the Tigers score a lot of runs, as even though Verlander is the rock of the staff Detroit only ranked 18th in team ERA last season.
Texas Rangers 10/1
The Rangers came within 1 out of winning the World Series last season and their offense will be, pretty much, the same as last season. Adrian Beltre, Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, and Ian Kinsler give the Rangers a great lineup and the pitching is the one question mark. Texas lost C.J. Wilson, but if Yu Darvish is as good as advertised that loss will not hurt and may actually make the staff better.
Miami Marlins 20/1
The Marlins signed last season’s batting champion Jose Reyes and the team is hoping Hanley Ramirez can regain past form after a poor 2011 season. P Josh Johnson was a stud before he got injured and the Marlins picked up Mark Buehrle, Carlos Zambrano, and closer Heath Bell. Miami has a lot of expectations, but a lot of question marks for their many new pickups as well.
San Francisco Giants 15/1
Once again the Giants will be led by their pitching staff with a couple of aces in Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, but can San Fran score any runs? Last season they ranked 29th in the Majors in runs scored and you know it was bad when Lincenum and Cain had ERA’s below 3.00 and their records were 13-14 and 12-11 respectively. The team is hoping newly acquired Angel Pagan can fill their leadoff hitter role and Freddy Sanchez can stay healthy.
Tampa Bay Rays 18/1
The Rays stormed back at the end of last season to shock everyone and they have a legit chance this season to do some damage even though they play in the killer AL East. P James Shields is one of the most underrated hurlers in the game and David Price looks to improve on his 12-13 season even though he had a solid ERA of 3.49. Evan Longoria has yet to put it all together, but has the talent to be a superstar. The Rays need to hit better than they did last season and even though they were solid scoring runs they ranked 2nd to last in the AL in team batting average. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Atlanta Braves 22/1
The Braves blew a huge lead last season and missed out on the playoffs and they did not make any big free agent additions. Their pitching should still be solid and can Chipper Jones give Atlanta one more good season?
Here are the futures odds for the World Series as of March 21st.
Philadelphia Phillies 11/2
New York Yankees 13/2
Los Angeles Angels 7/1
Detroit Tigers 8/1
Boston Red Sox 10/1
Texas Rangers 10/1
San Francisco Giants 15/1
Tampa Bay Rays 18/1
Cincinnati Reds 20/1
Miami Marlins 20/1
Atlanta Braves 22/1
St. Louis Cardinals 25/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 28/1
Milwaukee Brewers 28/1
Washington Nationals 30/1
Chicago Cubs 40/1
Colorado Rockies 40/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 40/1
Toronto Blue Jays 40/1
Cleveland Indians 60/1
Chicago White Sox 65/1
Minnesota Twins 75/1
Kansas City Royals 80/1
New York Mets 80/1
Oakland Athletics 80/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 100/1
San Diego Padres 100/1
Seattle Mariners 100/1
Baltimore Orioles 150/1
Houston Astros 200/1
