by Sean Murphy
Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023As we get ready to flip the calendar page over to September and shift our focus to college football and NFL action, now is a good time to take stock of the MLB futures market and more specifically the World Series winner odds.
I've already punched one ticket and wanted to give you the lowdown on why I believe one team in particular boasts the best value on the board.
Philadelphia Phillies (+1400 at DraftKings)
I'm predicting a repeat trip to the Fall Classic for the Phillies after they fell in six games against the Astros last October. This time around, I'm expecting Philadelphia to finish the job.
The Braves and Dodgers are the obvious leading candidates to take home the National League pennant. After all, Atlanta's offense looks unstoppable and Los Angeles has faced little resistance running away with the West Division crown. I do think both of those teams have their flaws, however. Atlanta's bullpen has proven vulnerable, if not a little thin in the depth department, at times and it will be relying heavily on an arsenal of very young, yet accomplished, starting pitchers. The Dodgers starting rotation is top-heavy in my opinion, most recent losing Tony Gonsolin to a season-ending injury. The same could be said of Los Angeles' batting order, with plenty of pop near the top but not a lot as you approach six-through-nine.
The Phillies, meanwhile, are putting it all together right now. They've been one of the hottest hitting teams in baseball, not just in the short-term picture but going all the way back to the start of August. Note that they've scored double-digit runs on five occasions going back to August 11th.
Their bullpen is in excellent position heading down the stretch, having logged only 437 1/3 innings collectively. Keep in mind, many bullpens are already well north of 500 innings on the campaign. Philadelphia's relief corps has made the most of those innings as well, posting a 3.66 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 36 saves converted and only 15 blown on the season.
As far as the Phillies starting rotation goes, they're well-positioned for playoff success with Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Michael Lorenzen one of the more underrated 1-2-3's in baseball.
Of course Philadelphia does still have its work cut out for it as it sits five-and-a-half games to the good in the N.L. Wild Card chase. It won't be catching Atlanta atop the N.L. East Division so the top Wild Card spot is the clear goal at this point.
Having already experienced a deep playoff run last Fall, I'm confident this group goes all the way in 2023.
I've already punched one ticket and wanted to give you the lowdown on why I believe one team in particular boasts the best value on the board.
Philadelphia Phillies (+1400 at DraftKings)
I'm predicting a repeat trip to the Fall Classic for the Phillies after they fell in six games against the Astros last October. This time around, I'm expecting Philadelphia to finish the job.
The Braves and Dodgers are the obvious leading candidates to take home the National League pennant. After all, Atlanta's offense looks unstoppable and Los Angeles has faced little resistance running away with the West Division crown. I do think both of those teams have their flaws, however. Atlanta's bullpen has proven vulnerable, if not a little thin in the depth department, at times and it will be relying heavily on an arsenal of very young, yet accomplished, starting pitchers. The Dodgers starting rotation is top-heavy in my opinion, most recent losing Tony Gonsolin to a season-ending injury. The same could be said of Los Angeles' batting order, with plenty of pop near the top but not a lot as you approach six-through-nine.
The Phillies, meanwhile, are putting it all together right now. They've been one of the hottest hitting teams in baseball, not just in the short-term picture but going all the way back to the start of August. Note that they've scored double-digit runs on five occasions going back to August 11th.
Their bullpen is in excellent position heading down the stretch, having logged only 437 1/3 innings collectively. Keep in mind, many bullpens are already well north of 500 innings on the campaign. Philadelphia's relief corps has made the most of those innings as well, posting a 3.66 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 36 saves converted and only 15 blown on the season.
As far as the Phillies starting rotation goes, they're well-positioned for playoff success with Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Michael Lorenzen one of the more underrated 1-2-3's in baseball.
Of course Philadelphia does still have its work cut out for it as it sits five-and-a-half games to the good in the N.L. Wild Card chase. It won't be catching Atlanta atop the N.L. East Division so the top Wild Card spot is the clear goal at this point.
Having already experienced a deep playoff run last Fall, I'm confident this group goes all the way in 2023.
