MLB Odds: American League Preview, Part 1

MLB / Mike Robb / 19 March 2008 / Leave a Comment

With the opening game of the 2008 Major League Baseball season less than a week away, Mike Robb will give us his views on the year ahead. Today's focus is on the American League...

Overview
There is no doubt in my mind that the American League (AL) is by some distance the stronger of the two this season. At the same time, I think the AL itself will be much more competitive than last season and am especially eager to see the Tigers' new look line-up in action. I fully expect the Red Sox to take the East and the Tigers to win the Central, but the West is a harder call.

The real interest in the AL this year will be the race for the Wild Card, which should be between the Yankees and Indians, and either is more than capable of taking the last post-season spot.

So... Where's your money?

I am so excited about the Tigers that the [5.0] to back them to win the American League outright ahead of the Red Sox tempts me. I certainly cannot see them failing to win their division, with only the Indians to contend with, and anything around evens will see me leaping in that general direction.

The next three articles will seek to justify these claims and give you a general view of what lies in store for 2008. We start with the AL East...

AL East

This Division is easily the most recognisable to most people as it contains the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, arguably the two most renowned teams in the world. The script is set to follow this reputation for the 2008 regular season as this pair will almost certainly finish in the top two spots.

Josh Beckett can be the difference again for the Sox following a great season last time round that culminated in a record-breaking first innings in the World Series. The Bostonians have experience in abundance, though the loss of Curt Schilling could be significant. It is no great surprise that they go in as pre-season favourites not only for the Division ([1.77]) but also the AL overall ([3.7]) and the World Series itself, currently at [5.9].

The Yankees are relying on younger players who do not yet have the experience to say with any real certainty how they will get on. That does not necessarily mean they can't go on to win the division - don't forget the class they do have, Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) for one - it just means that it's harder to predict exactly how they will do. The safer bet, therefore, is on the Red Sox. Nevertheless, you can back the Yankees at [4.0] to take the American League and at [8.2] to win the World Series.

The team that could prove a surprise in this Division are the Toronto Blue Jays. A young and improving team has been strengthened by David Eckstein and Scott Rolen who will bolster the infield and provide some much needed experience as well as some added punch with the bat. Halladay and Burnett are both pitchers with promise and if the Jays manage to keep key players clear of injures then they should at least be able to keep up with the big two, if not actually supplant one of them from the top spots. If you fancy the Blue Jays to win the AL Pennant you can get [21.0] and this may be a decent investment - if they manage to challenge the Eastern Division (and you can get [7.0] if you think they'll win that) then you will almost certainly get the chance to lay the bet off.

The Tampa Bay Rays should struggle, but it is the Orioles who have the most to fear and finishing anything above last place would have to go down as a successful season in Baltimore. The Rays are currently [13.5] and Orioles [12.5] to win the Division, with [40.0] and [50.0] respectively for them to win the AL overall and big three figure prices available if you think they can win the World Series. These prices are big for a reason folks, steer clear.