It is an even-numbered year, and if you are a numerologist, you might want to put some coin on the San Francisco Giants. After all, they did win the past three world titles on those even-numbered seasons. It’s not like the Giants are a throw away pick, either. They’ve assembled a solid group and are among the favorites at +958 to claim their fourth World Series title in seven years.
Bookmaker likes what teams in the National League are doing with the top five favorites to claim the 2016 top prize coming from the senior circuit.
The rapid progression of the Chicago Cubs has them as the overall favorite at +566 to win their first World Series since 1908. And why not, the North Siders have assembled a cadre of young talent and have the coolest manager in the game in Joe Maddon.
The Dodgers, Mets and Nationals round out the group of NL teams among the favorites to become World Series champions in 2016.
The upstart Houston Astros at +1257 are the favorite among AL teams. The defending world champion Kansas City Royals are not expected to repeat, according to oddsmakers. KC is getting little respect this season, behind the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers among favorites from the junior league.
ODDS TO WIN 2016 WORLD SERIES
Chicago Cubs +566
Los Angeles Dodgers +933
New York Mets +945
San Francisco Giants +958
Washington Nationals +1232
Houston Astros +1257
Toronto Blue Jays +1266
Boston Red Sox +1507
Detroit Tigers +1601
St. Louis Cardinals +1643
Kansas City Royals +1658
Cleveland Indians +1778
Texas Rangers +1969
New York Yankees +2018
Pittsburgh Pirates +2323
Arizona Diamondbacks +2648
Los Angeles Angels +2899
Seattle Mariners +3555
Miami Marlins +4000
Chicago White Sox +4189
Baltimore Orioles +4494
Tampa Bay Rays +5418
Minnesota Twins +5483
Oakland Athletics +8950
Milwaukee Brewers +13330
San Diego Padres +13908
Atlanta Braves +14000
Cincinnati Reds +16000
Colorado Rockies +17961
Philadelphia Phillies +18709
The old baseball saying is that good pitching stops good hitting. If that’s the case, we might as well deliver the Commissioner’s Trophy to the New York Mets, who assembled the best collection of young arms in baseball last season to make a surprising run to the World Series.
While they didn’t win, falling in five games to the Royals, the experience for the young fire-ballers will be invaluable as the Mets look to end a 30-year World Series drought.
Even more surprising than the Mets run to the postseason was that of the Cubs, who many believed were a few years away from contending. Now, Chicago is the favorite to win it all in 2016. If you think the Mets have a lengthy drought, nothing compares to the 108 years since the Cubbies last experienced winning a World Series.
If they can overcome the Curse of the Billy Goat – and the NL Central – the Cubs might be experiencing World Series bliss in 2016.
The Dodgers are among the favorites once again, and that’s probably because they paid off the oddsmakers with their deep pockets. L.A. will again have an expensive payroll, but as they’ve shown us the last few seasons, money can’t buy success.
The trendy pick from the American League is the Houston Astros at +1257. The rebuilding plan that the franchise undertook has finally paid off and the club is ready to take the next step. The ‘Stros fell two games shy of winning the AL West, but they had several players overachieve last season.
The Royals have been to two straight World Series and won it all last season. One could say the group assembled by GM Dayton Moore is an inning away from being the two-time defending champs. They have all the pieces back for another run but are a relative longshot at +1658.
The team is still young and still hungry. If you think they won’t become complacent by their run of success, you could get a nice return on your wager. Besides, it’s not like the other teams in the AL Central did too much to overcome K.C.’s reign.
Another longershot to keep an eye on is the Pittsburgh Pirates at +2323. They’ve been a little overlooked competing in the best division in baseball. The Cubs are the up-and-comers while the Cardinals are the established winners.
Pittsburgh knows how to win and has done plenty of it over the past three seasons while reaching the postseason. The Pirates were knocked out in the one-game Wild Card the past two seasons and they have a chip on their shoulders – and the best outfield in baseball.
To avoid the play-in game they need to win the division and the Pirates are a motivated and good baseball team.
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