Yankees and Dodgers Have Top Win Totals For 2020 Season

Normally, the MLB season would be in full swing with the all-star break and home run derby quickly approaching. You would also be gleeful or in misery depending on how your preseason win totals wagers were playing out in front of your eyes.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic halted play during spring training and left the rest of the season in jeopardy. There were some contentious moments as MLB and the MLBPA battled over whether they could return to play and what it would look like if they did.

Well, the two have finally come together on a 60-game regular season, with training camps opening on July 1 and the new Opening Day occurring on either July 23 or 24.

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With a specific number of games now agreed upon for the regular season, online sportsbook Bovada has re-released its season win totals and has listed the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, the co-favorites to win the 2020 World Series, with the highest totals at 37.5 wins.

Here’s a look at the full list of projected win totals and accompanying OVER/UNDERs for the 2020 MLB regular season:

All odds as of June 24 at Bovada

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My Best Picks for 2020 MLB Win Totals

With a 60-game season, teams are going to play 40 games within their division and 20 interleague contests. This type of schedule can hinder or help teams depending on the strength of their divisional foes. Below I have two teams that I like to go OVER their win totals and one team to go UNDER.

Chicago White Sox OVER 31.5 Wins (-120)

Maybe it’s the AL Central Division that makes me think the Chicago White Sox are due for a rise in the standings but all you have to do is look at their depth chart and it’s very encouraging. The Sox have a certified ace in Lucas Giolito and a starting rotation that boasts lefty Dallas Keuchel, Reynaldo Lopez and veteran Gio Gonzalez.

The pitching is obviously enticing but then when you look at the batting order, it’s hard not to get excited. SS Tim Anderson led MLB in batting average and he can get on base for hitters like 1B Jose Abreu or DH Edwin Encarnacion to put runs on the board. But the arrival of catcher Yasmani Grandal is the real addition that should change the fortunes of a team that hasn’t had a winning record since 2012.

A two-time all-star, power-hitting catcher with young studs and a quality pitching staff makes me believe the White Sox will be a tough squad this season and will win more games than they will lose. Throw in that a third of their schedule will be against the lowly Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals, and wins could come early and often.

New York Yankees OVER 37.5 Wins (-115)

Originally, the Yankees had a win total set at 102.5 based on a 162-game season. I was leaning toward the OVER but it wasn’t one of my favorite plays. However, with 40 of their 60 games now coming against AL East foes, I love the OVER 37.5 wins. Boston took a step backward, Baltimore will once again be a basement-dweller and Toronto, though improved, is still a step behind this powerhouse.

The Bronx Bombers racked up 103 wins last season while dealing with injury after injury and had a win percentage of 71 against AL East opponents. If they maintain that win percentage against divisional foes in 2020, the Pinstripes would just need to win 10 of their 20 interleague games to surpass 37.5 wins.

Washington Nationals UNDER 34 Wins (-120)

The Nats were crowned World Series champs in 2019, but I don’t anticipate a repeat. It was early June a year ago when the squad was nearly 10 games below .500, but a red-hot June carried through the rest of the season and was parlayed into a championship.

The batting lineup will look different without third baseman Anthony Rendon and Brian Dozier, though the rest of the lineup is intact, as is the pitching rotation. So why the fade? Well, the front of the rotation could bear watching as reigning World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg has dealt with injuries throughout his career and threw the most innings of his career in 2019, which is something to perhaps be concerned about.

Next is Max Scherzer. The three-time Cy Young winner started to show some wear and tear on his soon-to-be-36-year-old body. In 2019, Scherzer had the fewest starts (27) in a season since his rookie campaign in 2008 and he had his lowest win percentage (61.1) since 2015 and his highest ERA (2.92) since 2016. Now, those numbers are still really good but could we be seeing Father Time catch up?

Lastly, the NL East Division is tough. The Braves, Mets and Phillies will be extremely competitive in every series with the Nationals. With the bulk of games against rivals in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, it’ll be hard to have a lot of wins.