Three Darkhorses On 2015 World Series Betting Odds

The return of Manny Machado and other regulars might make the Orioles a good darkhorse pick to win the 2015 World Series. (Photo credit: Keith Allison / Foter / CC BY-SA)


With spring training now underway, sportsbooks have already posted 2015 World Series betting odds.

The Washington Nationals are the heavy favourite, paying just +573 at Pinnacle Sports (as of March 5) after signing Max Scherzer during the off-season.

But with the amount of parity in baseball these days, and the number of short series teams need to win to even get to the World Series, it’s smart to look for teams that are flying under the radar a bit.

Here are three such teams that are offering a lot of value on the 2015 World Series betting odds.

Baltimore Orioles (29:1)

orioles_logo_2012The defending AL East Champions won their division by 12 games last season, but are priced at +2833 on the Pinnacle Sports 2015 World Series betting odds.

Does a 96 game-winning team only rate as having a roughly average chance of winning the World Series?

While Baltimore lost American League home run leader Nelson Cruz, their pitching looks poised to improve, while players who suffered through down years and/or injury (Chris Davis, Manny Machado & Matt Weiters) appear ready to rebound.

Cincinnati Reds (55:1)

z9e0rqit393ojiizsemd0t1hxThe Reds won the National League Central in 2012 with a similar cast of characters before falling on hard times last season.

The good news is the two best players from that 2012 team, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, both lost their seasons to injury in 2014 and appear healthy this time around.

Throw in the emergence of Todd Frazier and Devin Mesoraco as all-star caliber players and you have a lineup that seems underrated in light of +5471 World Series betting odds.

Pittsburgh Pirates (30:1)

pirates-logoA playoff team each of the last two seasons, the Pirates are presently priced on the Pinnacle Sports 2015 World Series betting odds at +2972.

Pittsburgh lost a key member in catcher Russell Martin, but in MLB betting, no one player makes or breaks a team.

The market may be overcompensating for Martin’s loss, especially in light of other additions.

Hype, large fan bases, recent success and splashy offseason moves are all factors in how sportsbooks set the 2015 World Series betting odds. In order to get good value on the MLB odds, we recommend you look at the less glamourous teams that most bettors tend to ignore.