Online betting players will probably look to New York when they’re thinking of World Series picks, and even though they don’t offer much value, you can’t really go wrong when looking at the lineup for the defending World Series champions. The Yankees are comfortable at the plate, in the field and on the mound, and it’s going to take a massive effort from another team to take the American League crown away from the Bronx Bombers.
New York Yankees Odds – Offense
The Yankees led the American League in runs, home runs, and they were second in RBIs, and it’s pretty likely they’ll challenge for the lead in those categories again this year. They lost Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, a trio that combined for 65 homers, but Matsui and Damon are getting up there in years, and Cabrera will be replaced by Curtis Granderson, who made the All-Star team for the first time with Detroit. Granderson was eighth in the league in triples, and with Derek Jeter, gives the Yankees another good baserunner for the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Texieira and new DH Nick Johnson to drive in. Hopefully, Nick Swisher can get out of the funk he was in during the postseason last year.
New York Yankees Odds – Pitching
New York’s sportsbook odds took a good shot when 37-year-old Andy Pettitte decided to come back after a phenomenal postseason in which he went 4-0 (including 2-0 in the World Series), and they also re-acquired Javier Vazquez from Atlanta (he spent 2004 in the Bronx). This gives some depth to a rotation that already has C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett at the top end, although Burnett is still volatile from start to start. Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes will battle for the fifth spot, again, and the Yankees are just hoping either is consistent enough to take it. Chad Gaudin and Damaso Marte are the top middle relievers, and Mariano Rivera is still one of the top 3-5 closers in the game until he shows otherwise.
New York Yankees Odds – Manager
Joe Girardi added a ring as a manager to his three World Series rings while playing for the Yankees in 1996 to 1999, and his relationship with the core of Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Jorge Posada (Girardi mentored Posada behind the plate when he came through the system) was essential to this. Girardi let them lead this team, which wasn’t easy with high expectations after they splashed out $423.5 million for Sabathia, Texieira and Burnett. The Yankees have pulled back the reins on the spending, but the expectations are still the same, and Girardi changed his uniform number from 27 to 28, in honor of the chase for the Yankees’ 28th title.
New York Yankees Odds – Betting Prediction
The Yankees are still the World Series favorites in your sportsbook, as well as the American League favorites, and their main challengers will probably come within their own division, as their rivals from Boston won’t go down easily, and Tampa Bay is always lurking in the background. Offensively, the Yankees can make up for the losses of Damon and Matsui if Swisher and Johnson pull their weight. Defensively, the Yankees don’t get enough credit for being one of the best fielding teams in all of baseball. The starting pitching is improved, depending on the notoriously flaky Vazquez and Burnett, and the bullpen is deep. If the Yankees make it out of the American League East, they should have a clear path to the World Series.
