MLB Futures Betting – Will the Yankees Win the American League Pennant

Despite losing the American League pennant race to the surging Texas Rangers last season, the New York Yankees are once again among the favorites to take it home in 2011.  Although New York is a consistent pick in MLB futures betting, can they be surprised again this season?

MLB Futures Betting:  American League Pennant to Win

Boston Red Sox                       +175

New York Yankees                  +300

The preseason futures odds are placed on the Red Sox to win the pennant this season.  Boston has focused on its pitching during the off-season, and manager Terry Francona seems quite happy with the performance of starting pitcher John Lackey, who had no problem taking care of the Baltimore Orioles’ lineup during preseason play, throwing four shut-out innings.  In addition to closer Jonathan Papelbon and right-hander Dice-K, Boston is piecing together a strong rotation and bullpen, as they know that pitching is the essential key in the MLB postseason.

Also take note that Boston added two big bats to its already strong line-up, with the additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.  But Boston did lose Victor Martinez to the Detroit Tigers, which may leave a soft spot in the line-up to be filled.

New York, however, is still awaiting the decision of pitcher Andy Pettitte to make his decision on returning to play another season.  The Yankees have also been focused on pitching during the off-season, making a play to get the dominant hurler Cliff Lee from Texas, but who chose to return to Philadelphia instead.  At this point, the New York rotation will likely be headed by CC Sabathia, AJ Burnet, and Phil Hughes, which is impressive, to say the least. 

However, the Yankees captain Derek Jeter is focused on having a successful 2011 season, despite his less-than-Jeter-like performance in 2010, in which he hit only .270, his lowest season average ever. But Jeter is now 36-years-old, and MLB betting fans wonder if he can reach his prior high level of play again. 

With these odds, it can be hard to pick a clear front-runner between the Red Sox and the Yankees prior to the season, but all MLB betting fans know which teams will have a legitimate chance to win the pennant and which that won’t.  And New York and Boston are always in the mix. 

Based on pitching, age, and strength of the line-up, the Red Sox provide a nice pick for MLB futures betting to win the American League pennant this season.