2013 World Series Odds and Picks: Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs

2013 MLB World Series Odds and Picks – Betting on Underdogs for Big Payoffs: The 2013 MLB season is already 50-plus games old, and as usual, there have been a few teams that have been surprisingly successful in the early going as well as a few that have disappointed. As a result, the World Series odds for almost every team have fluctuated to a degree, even though more than 100 games still remain. For savvy bettors, this is the point in the season when betting on teams that have either overachieved or underperformed thus far can become profitable. After all, enough games have been played that teams have seen their odds become a bit longer if they have struggled, but at the same time, not enough games have been played for oddsmakers to fully buy into the teams that are off to unexpectedly hot starts. With that in mind, here is a closer look at few teams that have either scuffled a bit out of the gate that could still rebound to make a World Series run as well as some teams that have defied the odds thus far and could continue to do so all the way into October.

Although they are currently sitting fourth in the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays are only 2.0 games out of the top spot, and bettors have plenty of reason to be optimistic about this team’s chances of making a run. For starters, Tampa Bay’s lineup is the best it has been in years. In addition to a healthy Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria, offseason acquisitions James Loney and Kelly Johnson have been very productive. More importantly, the Rays have a 30-24 record despite their normally reliable pitching staff struggling. This is essentially the same group of pitchers that led the majors in ERA last year, and currently, Tampa Bay owns the eighth-worst ERA. Even if the Rays’ pitching doesn’t climb all the way back to the top, it should improve dramatically, especially when defending Cy Young winner David Price returns. When you add improved pitching to a solid offense in a division where no team has a dominant roster, Tampa Bay looks like an attractive sleeper pick to win the World Series at the team’s 20/1 odds.

The National League West is home to both the defending champion San Francisco Giants and the bloated payroll of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it is the Arizona Diamondbacks that are sitting atop the division at the moment. At 25/1 odds, oddsmakers are starting to show the young Diamondbacks some love, but given the injuries this team has dealt with thus far, Arizona only stands to get better. Closer J.J. Putz has been hurt, and starters Brandon McCarthy and Ian Kennedy have been slowly rounding back into shape after dealing with injuries last year. Meanwhile, the lineup has been missing second baseman Aaron Hill for almost the entire season. Despite the injury bug, the Diamondbacks rank fifth in the majors in ERA and in the top 10 in batting average. Not to mention the fact that slugger Paul Goldschmidt is looking like an MVP candidate. Arizona stands to get a lot healthier in the coming weeks so this could be the last chance for bettors to buy low on this team.

Nobody ever seems to fully trust the Oakland Athletics, and considering their roster is once again filled with mainly unheard of players and supposedly washed up veterans, there 25/1 odds to win the World Series are somewhat understandable. However, Oakland’s 32-24 record is the third best in the American League, and while they trail the Texas in the AL West, the Athletics ran down the Rangers for the division crown just last year. This team isn’t filled with superstars and doesn’t really stand out on the stat sheet, but they have been winning a lot of games dating back to last season. Chemistry counts for a lot in baseball, and the Athletics have it. There is no reason to expect a letdown from this group, and 25/1 odds are pretty favorable for a team that is in great position to make the playoffs.

Bettors looking for a serious dark horse pick may want to gamble on the Chicago White Sox. They have gotten off to a miserable 24-28 start, but since Detroit and Cleveland have also had rough stretches, Chicago is only 4.5 games back in the AL Central. More importantly, they have managed to stay in touch with the division leaders despite their potent offense struggling mightily. In fact, the White Sox rank second last in runs scored this year after ranking in the top 10 just last season. Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn are among the sluggers that have struggled out of the gate, but history says that they should heat up eventually. Meanwhile, Chris Sale and Jake Peavy have been anchoring a surprisingly solid pitching staff. Coming into the year, pitching was supposed to be the question mark. If Chicago’s offense wakes up to support the pitching, the White Sox could easily erase their early deficit. At the team’s 66/1 odds to win the World Series, bettors may want to bank on a turnaround.

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