With a number of suspended series that still need to be made up, not every team has hit the 30-game midseason mark of this shortened MLB season. However, with just over four weeks remaining and the trade deadline on Monday looming, it’s as close to midseason as we’re likely to get.
Note that given the value of each game played, our rankings can swing wildly from week to week.
Top 5 Power Rankings
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (Odds to Win World Series +350)
Los Angeles continues to dominate the opposition being the only team in baseball who have not lost a series set this season. After a slow start, Mookie Betts, the 2018 AL Most Valuable Player has emerged as the Dodgers’ most valuable player during the first half of the season. Going into today’s game against the Texas Rangers, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball (24-9), the leagues best run differential (+81), average the most runs per game, and have given up the second-fewest (trailing on the Cleveland Indians). It’s no wonder that Wunderdog has them the odds on favorite amongst sports betting picks.
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Odds to Win World Series +900)
Strange things are afoot in the American League East. Nobody had Tampa Bay ahead of the Yankees at the leagues midway point, but thanks to the New York Yankee’s current losing streak, that’s where the Rays find themselves. Led by second-year phenom Brandon Lowe, who finished third in last year’s Rookie of the Year voting, the Rays have overcome a 6-8 start and gone 15-3 over the last three weeks and currently have the best record in the American League.
3. Oakland Athletics (Odds to Win World Series +750)
Heading into the weekend the A’s are 19-10 with arguably have the deepest roster in the American League. They are getting production across the board, with the 31-year-old Mark Canha continuing to produce after a breakout season last year. Robbie Grossman has been just as good as Canha, and third baseman Matt Chapman (who was scratched yesterday after a scary hit-by-pitch incident) has quietly been putting up stellar numbers and has settled into the heart of Oakland’s batting order.
4. San Diego Padres (Odds to Win World Series +2000)
The Padres have always played in the shadow of the Dodgers in Southern California, and with Los Angeles playing so well not many people have noticed San Diego. Wunderdog sports picks currently have them as an incredible value pick to win it all at +2000. Fernando Tatís Jr. is the favorite to take home the National League MVP award and now leads the league in home runs (13), RBI’s (30), and runs scored (31). Starting pitcher Dinelson Lamet is second only to Trevor Bauer in the NL in limiting batters average and has provided the pitching spark that’s propelled the team into the top rankings.
5. Minnesota Twins (Odds to Win World Series +1200)
You were probably expecting to see the Yankee make our list. No such luck. The Minnesota Twins led by the 40-year-old Nelson Cruz are 20-11 and have the second-most wins in the American League. Cruz leads the team in home runs (11), RBI’s (27), runs scored (23), and fWAR (1.5). Coming off two losses to the Cleveland Indians, the Twins have four games against a struggling Detroit Tigers to try and pad their lead in the Central Division.
Rounding out the top ten are the Yankees (+400), Atlanta Braves (+1200), Cleveland Indians (+1500), Chicago Cubs (+1500), and the Houston Astros (+1500).
