The MLB season has reached the business point of the year, with the top six teams in the American League set to compete for the AL Pennant and a place in the 2024 World Series over the course of the next few weeks.
The New York Yankees have had the best season so far and come into the playoffs as the number one seed, but they’ll have stiff competition to secure their place in the big championship series to prove they’re the best team in the league, with rivals hitting good form at the right time.
We’ll take a look at the AL pennant field and provide you with our best free MLB betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you take in the action on the field.
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MLB AL Pennant information
- Post-season begins: Tuesday, 1st October 2024
- World Series begins: Friday, 25th October 2024
- No.1 Seed: New York Yankees
- No.2 Seed: Cleveland Guardians
- No.3 Seed: Houston Astros
- No.4 Seed: Baltimore Orioles
- No.5 Seed: Kansas City Royals
- No.6 Seed: Detroit Tigers
MLB AL Pennant favorites
Below you’ll find a list of the favorites to be crowned American League Division winners.
New York Yankees – (+180)
Yankees fans have become quite familiar with disappointment in the MLB in recent seasons, New York may have their best chance yet of success after Juan Soto’s addition to the roster. So far this year, the Yankees have been the AL’s best team by a distance, with Aaron Judge also flying and in great form heading into the post-season.
The Yankees are my favored contender for the AL Pennant because this lineup is going to be a major problem for opposing pitchers. They have got arguably two of the best hitters in baseball, giving New York an imposing duo in the heart of their lineup and a phenomenal base to build from offensively.
Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres are other players looking to have a big impact this year, and with a plethora of options to get them over the line they’ll be really difficult to stop. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes are healthy, so they should provide a boost to this group. Luis Gil has also had a solid breakthrough season and is one to watch.
The bullpen remains strong, led by closer Clay Holmes, who is one of the most underrated relievers in MLB right now. They’re the favorites to get the job done for a reason, so back them to succeed and get over their hump.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Houston Astros – (+350)
Houston may have benefitted from competing in a pretty weak league in recent seasons, but it would be foolish to overlook a team that has reached the ALCS seven years in a row.
This isn’t a perfect lineup, but if Kyle Tucker heats up he is more than capable of hitting one out of the park. Yordan Álvarez is one of the best hitters in the sport, and it feels like this might be the last opportunity for Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve to get a third title together so motivation in the group remains high and they all look hungry to get the job done.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
Cleveland Guardians – (+450)
It’s fair to wonder whether the Guardians have enough starting pitching depth to make a deep postseason run, but the rest of their roster looks incredibly good and Stephen Vogt is likely to win AL Manager of the Year in his first season.
José Ramírez is one of this era’s best players, and once again has had a season that has him in the top five for MVP voting, which has become a norm for him. Josh Naylor has 31 home runs and 108 RBI and David Fry was a surprise All-Star. Steven Kwan returned from fitness problems and has had a fine season too, showing that the team has more than enough to compete.
The advantage that the Guards have over every other team in the sport is owning one of the most dominant bullpens in modern history in Tanner Bibee and Ben Lively.
Closer Emmanuel Clase has a 0.61 ERA and is having one of the best seasons a reliever has ever put together. Cade Smith (1.91 ERA), Hunter Gaddis (1.57 ERA), Tim Herrin (1.92 ERA) and Eli Morgan (1.93 ERA) are also having a phenomenal season from the bullpen, so don’t be surprised to see them lead Cleveland to the AL pennant for the first time since 2016.
