Everything We Know About the 2022 MLB Season

After a long offseason – made a week longer thanks to the lockout – the MLB season is beginning. Since it’s been almost five months since the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros in the World Series, you might have some questions about the 2022 MLB season. Keep reading as we run through what to expect this year, who the top teams are, who some sleeper teams are, player awards, and how you can use this information to make more informed wagers while betting on baseball this season.

Let’s play ball!

 

2022 Top MLB Teams

 

The Braves were last year’s champs, but sportsbooks aren’t giving them the top status going into the 2022 season. The reloaded Los Angeles Dodgers, who added five-time All-Star Freddie Freeman, are the favorites to win the World Series at +450. 

The deep and talented Toronto Blue Jays are next at +800, as they added a plethora of talented pitchers as well as third baseman Matt Chapman to their young core of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. 

Next up is last year’s World Series runners up, the Houston Astros. Though they lost shortstop Carlos Correa to free agency, they are expecting future Hall of Fame pitcher Justin Verlander to return. Their core is already a proven group, with one championship and two other appearances in the World Series since 2017.

Rounding out the top five are the two New York teams. The New York Mets (+1000) spent big in free agency, adding perennial Cy Young contender Max Scherzer, All-Star outfielder Starling Marte, slugging third baseman Eduardo Escobar, and more to their stars Jacob deGrom and Pete Alonso. Will their big spending pay off?

The New York Yankees are also +1000 and return with a similar team to last year’s, led by sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole. Their odds could be a reflection of the team’s talent, but could also be a reflection of being a popular team based in New York City.

 

Source: Bovada

 

2022 MLB Sleeper Teams

 

Outside of the top teams, a few teams have made major improvements that could position them to contend for the World Series in 2022. 

The Chicago White Sox have a young group of highly touted hitters (Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Andrew Vaughn) who could be ready to compete this year. They also boast an uber-talented bullpen and some solid starting pitchers. The White Sox’s odds are +1100.

The Tampa Bay Rays always seem to defy expectations with smart baseball, including platooning their hitters based on who’s pitching, finding unique ways to employ their pitchers, and embracing sabermetrics and analytics. The Rays’s odds are +1600.

The San Francisco Giants are another sleeper team who always seem to finish above expectations. Their large home park helps their pitchers control the game and they added to their already talented staff by signing Carlos Rodon. Like the Rays, they also embrace platooning, analytics, and the new way of thinking. The Giants’s odds are +2000.

 

How to wager on MLB teams

 

Picking the World Series winner is no easy task, after all, you’re picking one of 30 teams that include 10+ true contenders. However, there are other ways to bet on the outcomes of the season. If you think a specific team should do better or worse than their expectations, you can bet over or under on their season long win total. 

For instance, the Washington Nationals are expected to be one of the worst teams in the league and sportsbooks have given them a wagerable win total of 71.5. If you think they will be really bad and finish similar to last year (when they won only 65 games), you could bet their under. However, if you think that they might be a little better than expectations, you could bet on them to win more than 71.5 games this year. They won’t be winning the World Series, but you could win a little money betting on them.

You can also bet on teams to win their divisions or league. The current division favorites are:

• AL East: Toronto Blue Jays (+215)
• AL Central: Chicago White Sox (-225)
• AL West: Houston Astros (-162)
• NL East: Atlanta Braves (+130)
• NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers (-141)
• NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers (-200)

There are many other ways to wager on MLB teams on a season-long or daily basis, including fun props like season total strikeouts, how many All-Stars a team will have, and more.

 

 

Wagering on Player Awards

 

Wagering on player awards is another popular way to gamble on the 2022 MLB season. The most common awards to wager on are MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year. 

This year’s preseason MVP races include some of the biggest stars in the sport. In the National League, this includes Washington’s Juan Soto, Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña, Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper, and Mookie Betts of the Dodgers. The American League preseason favorites are Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout of the Angels, Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and New York’s Aaron Judge.

Check out the full list of MVP odds here.

The Cy Young is given to the top pitcher in each league each year. For 2022, the National League favorites are Jacob deGrom and Max Scherezer of the Mets, Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff of the Brewers, and Walker Buehler of the Dodgers. In the American League, Gerrit Cole of the Yankees, Shane Bieber of the Guardians, last year’s winner Robbie Ray of the Mariners, and Lucas Giolito of the White Sox.

Check out the full list of Cy Young odds here.

Lastly comes the Rookie of the Year, given to the top newcomers in each league. In the National League, Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, Giants catcher Joey Bart, and Padres shortstop CJ Abrams top the list. In the American League, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson, Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez, and Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman are the favorites.

Check out the full list of Rookie of the Year odds here.

 

Let the MLB Season Begin

 

We’re looking forward to the 2022 MLB season and we know you are too. We hope that you feel ready to place some winning bets while watching your favorite teams this year. The sportsbook inside Circa Resort & Casino is the ultimate place to be in Las Vegas for baseball sports betting. Stop by Circa Las Vegas, the D, or any of the other Circa Sports locations in Las Vegas. to place your bets in person. Can’t make it into the sportsbook? Download the Circa Sports app on iOS or Android to have your bookie right in your pocket and bet wherever you are in Vegas.

Whether in person or on the app, join Circa Sports for your premier place to bet on baseball in Vegas.