The Atlanta Braves come into 2022 as the defending World Series champions after winning their first title since 1995. The new season features the designated hitter as a permanent addition to the National League after spending the last two seasons as a COVID-19 rule change. Once the ongoing Major League Baseball labor stoppage comes to an end, the sports betting frenzy on the 2022 season can begin. For now, though, you can wager on MLB, including the 2022 World Series champion. Let’s take a look at some of the contenders – and some of the sleepers.
MLB News: 2022 Favorites, Smart Picks and Dark Horses
The Dodgers come in, once again, as the favorite. Why? Because they have the most talent on their roster, and they spend more than anyone else on salary. However, they have failed to turn that favorite status into titles, with the exception of 2020. Most recently, they lost to Atlanta in the NLCS and look to bounce back this season. Slugger Max Muncy, starting pitchers Julio Urias and Walker Buehler, and right fielder Mookie Betts headline one of the deepest rosters in all of baseball. They did lose shortstop Corey Seager and starter Max Scherzer to free agency, but they remain the favorite as of this writing. But what will happen to Clayton Kershaw? That’s the biggest question facing the Dodgers.
If Atlanta were to repeat as World Series champions, they would be the first team to pull that off since the New York Yankees won in 1999 and 2000. With an infield that includes Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman, and Dansby Swanson, the Braves can repeat; however, Freeman is a free agent, and he has received offers from other teams that have gone on hold because of the lockout. The starting rotation also needs some work, as things get grim after Max Fried takes his turn.
San Diego had a disappointing 79-83 season after going into 2021 projected to push the Dodgers all the way from start to finish. The team that actually did the pushing was the San Francisco Giants, but the Padres still have the talent waiting for new manager Bob Melvin. Fernando Tatis Jr has the tools to play excellent defense at shortstop, along with a monster bat, and they also have Manny Machado and Jake Cronenworth. Starting pitchers Blake Snell and Yu Darvish lead the rotation, and with the talent connected to this team, they should definitely have a better 2022.
St. Louis had the best second half in all of MLB in 2021, winning 48 of their 82 games after the All-Star break to snag a slot in the NL wild card contest. Their batting order included Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Tyler O’Neill, and their starting rotation and bullpen, while not elite, have the arms to keep the game close enough until the offense starts putting up runs. Manager Mike Shildt was fired at he end of the year despite the wild card finish, and it will be interesting to see if new skipper Oliver Marmol can get the Cardinals off to a strong start.
Washington is way down the odds list at this point, but they did win the World Series in 2019, beating Houston in seven games – a World Series in which the road team won all seven games. Since that title, the Nationals have lost most of their championship core, including Trea Turner, Max scherzer, Anthony Rendon and Adam Eaton, and so they finished in the basement of the NL East last year, finishing 65-97. They still have outfielder Juan Soto, who might be the senior circuit’s best hitter, and they have a lot of salary room. So once the lockout comes to an end, the Nationals could make some additions and get themselves back into the postseason conversation.
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