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2017 MLB American League Wild Card Race Update
New York Yankees (59-52)
ODDS TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES: +900
WHY THEY CAN EARN A WILDCARD SPOT:
The Yankees are going into random spurts for months now. Above it all, however, is the undeniable talent they have, as led by this year’s breakout player, Aaron Judge, who’s second in the MLB in home runs (35). The 25-year-old is currently the most dangerous weapon in baseball (even with the recent slump), and the good thing about it is that he’s not the complete workhorse of the club – Starlin Castro, Didi Gregorius, Gary Sanchez, and Chase Headley, among others, have all each contributed great individual stretches in the season. Through their production, the Yanks are currently inside the top 10 in hits, homers, runs, RBIs, and batting average.
Adding to all of that is the way they had bolstered their pitching rotation. They snagged Sonny Gray (6-6, 3.41 ERA) from the Oakland Athletics right before the trade deadline, making their defense even tougher. Gray will be joining a group that’s already allowing one of the fewest, hits, homers, and runs in the MLB (top six in all categories).
Kansas City Royals (57-55)
ODDS TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES: +2,000
WHY THEY CAN EARN A WILDCARD SPOT:
Forget about their 3-7 slate in their last 10; this is one squad that has resiliency. They were once at the bottom of the American League Central, but have now climbed into second place, with only a pair of wins separating them from the division leader (Cleveland Indians).
The addition (and return) of beloved veteran Melky Cabrera, who played for the Royals in 2011, should also prove to be helpful. Cabrera is slashing a .296/.338/.441 this season.
More than all of that, though, are two trends that can make a believer out of all of us, as the Royals have a winning record against all of the top three teams in the AL, and two of their three co-wild card contenders.
As per ESPN, Kansas City also has the easiest remaining schedule among all AL wild card teams.
Tampa Bay Rays (58-56)
ODDS TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES: +5,000
WHY THEY CAN EARN A WILDCARD SPOT:
The Rays are one of the many hot-and-cold teams in the league, although whenever they are on “hot” mode, they can be pretty sneaky with escaping a win.
Every team will also have to respect the versatile core that Tampa has, as it has four main batters that pose certain threats. All-Star Evan Longoria can be very explosive at any given day, Logan Morrison is having a breakout season (28 HRs), Corey Dickerson is 14th in the MLB in hits, and Steven Souza is top 25 in the league in on-base and slugging percentage.
That solid group, which now has Lucas Duda, should be good enough to make the team dive into the postseason. Duda’s been proving he’s an exciting addition; he’s 10-for-31 with three home runs and four RBIs in 10 games with the Rays.
Furthermore, like the Royals, the Rays have shown that they are capable of being quite competitive against the top teams of the American League, as they have winning records against the league’s three best clubs.
Seattle Mariners (58-56)
ODDS TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES: +6,000
WHY THEY CAN EARN A WILDCARD SPOT:
Despite all of the struggles, which currently paces them to have a worse record than last year’s, the Mariners are still able to hang around competitively. Much of it is because of the list of potent hitters they have on the roster – Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager, and Jean Segura, among others. The four help power the Ms into ranking inside the top 10 in runs and hits.
It’s also worth noting that as winners in seven of their last 10, Seattle is currently the hottest team out of all the wild card clubs in the AL.
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