2020 MLB Win Totals: Step Forward for Blue Jays?
4 years ago
by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post
The Toronto Blue Jays’ win total for the 2020 season is predicated on the anticipated growth of their bright young hopes, but it remains to be seen if that translates directly into more team success.
Three weeks out from opening day, the Blue Jays’ over-under on 2020 regular-season wins is listed at 75.5 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Toronto has gone UNDER on their win total prop in each of the last two seasons, finishing with a 67-95 record in 2019 after oddsmakers set the bar at 74 wins. In 2018, the Blue Jays were 73-89 after their over/under was set at 81.5.
A nine-win improvement might not sound like a great leap for a team expecting a full season out of third baseman Vladimir Guerrero, shortstop Bo Bichette and second baseman-outfielder Cavan Biggio, who each made their MLB debuts in 2019. But young players usually don’t carry an offense right away. Furthermore, of the six MLB teams that had between 60 and 69 wins in 2018, only one was able to improve by at least nine wins in 2019.
Across MLB, the New York Yankees (102.5) and Los Angeles Dodgers (101.5) are tagged to have the best records in baseball at sports betting sites. A dearth of strong competition in their respective divisions, the AL East and NL West, might make a case for taking the over on both teams. The Minnesota Twins have a 92.5-win cutoff after a 101-win campaign.
The scandal-beset Houston Astros have banged out more than 100 wins in three consecutive seasons, including 107 last season. Their line is set at 94.5 on the MLB odds due to the sign-stealing controversy as well as the expectation of stiffer competition in the AL West from the likes of the Los Angeles Angels (85.5) and Oakland Athletics (89.5). The Athletics beat their projections by a combined 38 wins in 2018 and 2019, and the law of averages would suggest it’s tough to go 3-for-3.
The Chicago White Sox (84.5) have the biggest positive gap, as their core outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert along with some other impactful signings are expected to breathe new life into a 72-win outfit from 2019. The White Sox’s cross-town brethren, the Chicago Cubs (85.5), could be a team to fade, especially with the possibility they might trade star third baseman Kris Bryant.
The Baltimore Orioles (56.5), Detroit Tigers (56.5), Kansas City Royals (64.5) and Miami Marlins (64.5) are tagged with the lowest projections, but all four have been uncompetitive for some time and it’s tricky taking the under on any team where the bar is set so low. There might be a safer play in taking the under on, say, the Pittsburgh Pirates (69.5), who have chosen to burn it all down organizationally and start over.
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