1ST PITCH IS IN 6 DAYS!! Today, we dug into the AL West and found some value with 3 team totals. The Astros should win this division again, even without Carlos Correa, but their team total is right where it should be and the division winner is juiced too much for my liking. I have the 3 teams below that I ended up finding value in their team totals. NL East on deck!
Last season we hit MLB at 54% while earning clients over $12,000!! Sign up NOW before you miss out on my MLB Sides Monthly Subscription at The OddsBreakers and get the number BEFORE it moves!
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have arguably the best 2 players in baseball but miss the playoffs year after year. Why? Pitching. Last year, they finished with 77 wins while their starters posted a 1.37 WHIP (24th in the league) and a 4.31 FIP (17th). The bullpen wasn’t any better posting a 1.40 WHIP (25th) and a 4.38 xFIP (20th). Even with 2 of the best hitters in the league, the offense finished the season with the 20th best wOBA (.308) in the majors. So, lets see what they did this offseason to better their results. They lost 4 pitchers and 2 outfielders to free agency and their big “splash” signs were SP Noah Synndergaard and RP Aaron Loup. Although Syndergaard owns an excellent 2.93 career FIP but he has only pitched 2 innings since 2019. If he can get back to form, both were both good signings, however, that won’t be enough to push their win total 6-7 games higher than last season and there aren’t any difference makers in the minors that will be joining the Major League team this year. Mike Trout is now 30 and has yet to play in the playoffs but can the Joe Madden led squad change that this year? I say no. Take Under 83.5 wins -104 @FD
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners had a breakout season last year by winning 90 games but that wasn’t enough to break their postseason drought. They were 33-19 in one inning ball games and 14-7 in extra-inning games so luck may have been on their side in 2021 and they enter this season without their RBI leader, 3B Kyle Seager (retired), and strikeout leader, Yusei Kikuchi (FA), from a year ago. The M’s went out and signed the AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to join their young staff and traded for 3B Eugenio Suarez and OF Jesse Winker. Those additions should offset their losses and most likely improve the squad. A squad that had one of the best bullpens in the league last year while their fielding was top third in the MLB, two strengths that should stay strengths. Its not often that a 90-win team owns the 4th worst wOBA in the majors but that is what happened last season (.300), showing how good the pitching and fielding was. Saying that, the young core should improve at the plate and on the mound while welcoming a potential star outfielder Julio Rodriguez to the mix. The division is not strong and they will most likely end up 2nd in the in the standings with the chance to overtake the Astros for the AL West title. Maybe they aren’t as lucky with the one run and extra inning games but I see this young team to improve to offset that and winning about 88 games this season. Take Over 83.5 wins -115 @DK
Texas Rangers
The Rangers come into 2022 after winning just 60 games last season. A season that featured a starting rotation that earned a 3rd worst 5.19 FIP, a bullpen that posted a 4.43 xFIP (20th) and an offense with the worst wOBA in the MLB (.291). There’s only one way to go, right? Probably. The signings of SS Corey Seagar and 2B Marcus Semien will definitely help on the offensive end but you can’t say they did anything to sure up the pitching. They will, however, welcome potential future ace of the rotation, Jack Leiter, from the minors to help with the rotation and 3B Josh Jung to help with the lack of offensive output. This is another young team and the veteran additions are great for the team and the clubhouse but this will be a work in progress and don’t see them taking a huge step forward within the division. There will be plenty of pressure on the offense to produce while Texas will hope that the pitching will get better with experience. This team will improve but the books have them improving by 14.5 games. I don’t see it and expect that they will have about 69 wins this season with a better offense and a horrific pitching staff. Take Under 74.5 wins -110 @FOX
Last season we hit MLB at 54% while earning clients over $12,000!! Sign up NOW before you miss out on my MLB Sides Monthly Subscription at The OddsBreakers and get the number BEFORE it moves!
