2023 MLB World Series Odds: Two California Sleepers To Keep An Eye On
If you couldn’t tell by now, I have a bad case of baseball fever. My New York Jets have kept their almost decade-long streak alive by disappointing me yet again, so it’s time my focus shifts to what’s really important: baseball.
While Opening Day seems like an ant over the horizon, it’ll be here soon enough–so it’s best we buckle down and figure out our World Series future bets. We all know the chalk teams: the Astros, Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Padres round out the preseason odds top five. What many of us don’t know, though, are those teams that get lost in the mud. So, here are two sleeper teams that I think could make a big push for the World Series this year.
Remember, the odds you are about to see (which are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook) are about to be monstrously high–but that’s exactly what a sleeper is. So, please, bet responsibly.
Los Angeles Angels (+5000)
Could this finally be the year that the Angels take advantage of having the two best players in all of baseball? Honestly, probably not–but it’s at least worth a look, especially with those odds.
There’s no doubt that the Angels are at least trying, made evident by their busy offseason. They’ve bolstered their pitching greatly by signing veteran starter Tyler Anderson, and have buffed up their lineup by acquiring Hunter Renfroe, Brandon Drury, and Gio Urshela. Their bullpen is a bit suspect, but a hot start to the year could push their hand at acquiring bullpen depth by the trade deadline, so it’s a bit too early to take that into consideration.
All in all, they’re rolling out a much better team this year than they did last year. If Tarloy Ward can recreate the magic of last season, and if Anthony Rendon could contribute ANYTHING to the squad, then we could be looking at a dangerous offensive team that could easily grab a wild card spot–and once you’re in the playoffs, anything goes.
San Francisco Giants (+5000)
Another +5000 team coming out of California…what a coincidence. Anyway, I’m slowly falling in love with this Giants team. It’s been a disastrous offseason from the Giants, losing out on Judge, saying goodbye to your ace Carlos Rodon, and having Carlos Correa slip through your fingers…so wouldn’t the best storybook ending here be them winning the World Series? Like they say, it’s hard not to get romantic about baseball.
Realistically though, this isn’t a TERRIBLE team. Their hitting needs help, sure–but it’s not as bad as it looks on paper. Starting behind the plate, Joey Bart is still a young prospect that has the potential of being one of the best-hitting catchers in the game. Their infield, consisting of Wilmer Flores, Thairo Estrada, Brandon Crawford, and David Villar, is filled with experience and guys that can get on base. Their outfield is a bit of a question mark right now, but will probably consist of some combination of Mike Yastrzemski, Mitch Haniger, Joc Pederson, Austin Slater, and Heliot Ramos. So all in all, it could definitely be better–but it could also be worse.
All this said, we haven’t even gotten to the good part of the Giants yet. Their starting five has some crazy high potential, with Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Sean Manea, Alex Wood, and Ross Stripling making up the rotation. Their bullpen is also as good as it gets, led by closer Camilo Doval and anchored by setup men Taylor and Tyler Rogers.
