Betting MLB 2022 Division Champions and MVP, Cy Young Award Winners

As the Major League Baseball season heads out of the All-Star Break and into the second half of the season, suspense abounds. The Yankees, Dodgers, and Astros look like locks for their respective divisions, meanwhile the remaining three divisions are all up for grabs. There is money to made, in what is sure to be an exciting finish to the 2022 MLB season.  

Dimers.com contributor Brad Livergood takes a look at the contenders and their odds.

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AL Central Winner

Brewers -225

Cardinals +160

The Brewers and Cardinals are only separated by half-a-game, and for this I turn to remaining strength of schedule. The Cardinals have, by far the easiest schedule remaining, playing the Cubs and Reds both 11 times, followed by the Pirates 9 times and the Nationals 7 times.  Goldschmidt and Arenado should feast in the second half of the season, and I expect the Cardinals to add an arm or two to shore up the bullpen.  

It seems the books are on the Brewers because of arms like Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader,  but let's not forget the Brewers just recently had a 13-game losing streak. I'm not sold on the Brewers,  and with the struggles at bat for Christian Yelich this season, I expect them to lose some ground when they play both New York teams and the Dodgers.

With the easiest strength of schedule combined with how good the Cardinals are at Busch Stadium,  I'll be locking in the Cardinals at +160.

PICK - Cardinals +160

AL Cy Young Winner

PICK: Justin Verlander +250

Dark Horse: Dylan Cease +1100

The AL is loaded with top-tier pitching, and a deep dive into the second half of the season exposes a clear frontrunner. McClanahan has been lights-out so far, sporting a 10-3 record, 12 strikeouts per 9 innings, 1.71 ERA, and 0.80 WHIP.  Verlander is right behind with a 12-3 record, 8.9 K/9, 1.89 ERA, and 0.88 WHIP.

My brother has officially passed BOB GIBSON on the All-Time strikeout list!!!

WHAT?! 14th ALL TIME!! @JustinVerlander 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/wlN7rLBXHe

— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) July 16, 2022

The Rays have an extremely hard remaining schedule, and McClanahan is most likely going to face lineups like the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Astros, all of which can put a dent in his numbers. The Astros, on the other hand, get the likes of the Athletics, Rangers, and Angels —  all of whom Verlander should be able to feast upon. This the age of Tom Brady where athletes excel far later in life than ever before, and I expect Verlander to continue being the one of the best arms in the game.

My dark horse pick for the American League is Dylan Cease of the White Sox, currently at +1100.  

He's sporting a 9-4 record, 12.9 K/9, 2.15 ERA, and 1.18 WHIP.  He has also been lights out this year like Verlander, and with one of the easiest remaining schedules left, I expect Cease to improve his numbers against the likes of the Tigers, Royals, and Athletics. 

At +1100 there is insane value for a guy who has numbers just a tad lower than Verlander, and is one of the premier strike out artists in the game.  He currently leads the MLB in strikeouts with 150. With the run I expect the White Sox to make in the 2nd half, I'll be splashing on Dylan Cease at +1100.

NL Cy Young Winner

PICK: Corbin Burnes +700

Dark Horse: Tony Gonsolin +1500

The deserved favorite at the break is Sandy Alcantara at -130.  He has been lights-out the first half of the season, but I feel the odds don't reflect how close this race really is. I'll be looking to fade Sandy Alcantara at that price, and look for value as there is a lot of baseball left to be played. He will have to face the Braves, Dodgers, and Mets more than once, and I expect him to eventually get knocked around.  

Meanwhile, the NL strikeout leader is Corbin Burnes. With a 7-4 record, 11.4 K/9, 2.14 ERA, and a 0.90 WHIP,  it would seem the books have him at +700 because of the win-loss record.  

I expect Alcantara to start losing games, and with superior stats in all the other major categories,  including over 20 more strikeouts total with less games played,  I'll be splashing on Burnes at +700.  

Corbin Burnes, Filthy Cutters. 😷✂️

8th, 9th and 10th Ks. pic.twitter.com/uV8p18Hjy6

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 15, 2022

For even greater value, I look to the Dodgers’ Tony Gonsolin at +1500, who has a perfect 10-0 record, 8.3 K/9, 2.02 ERA, and a 0.80 WHIP.  With how much run support the Dodgers lineup is likely to give him each outing, he very well could finish the year undefeated.  While 8.3 K/9 is still very good, he'll need to improve that to win the Cy Young over the likes of Burnes and  Alcantara, but with a very similar ERA and WHIP, his win-loss record could propel him up the rankings, and quickly.  

If Burnes and Alcantara have a few rough outings, there is plenty of value at +1500 for a pitcher undefeated so far.

NL Rookie of the Year Winner

PICK: Seiya Suzuki +1200

After this Home Run Derby and the great start of the season rookie Julio Rodriguez is having, I'll be looking to stay away from the AL Rookie of the Year race and turn to the National League.  

Seiya Suzuki comes to the Chicago Cubs already a veteran on the international stage, and had an impressive first month of the season. Heading into the break on a six-game hitting streak, with .279 avg on the season, 6 HR and 26 RBI. He has become a fan favorite on the North Side, looking to have settled in nicely with the Cubs.  

I expect him to continue to hit in the three-slot as the Cubs are in a rebuild mode, and his numbers to keep improving as he gets used to MLB pitching.  

Favorite Future prop 

State of Winning Team: New York +175

For this pick I love the combined value, getting the Mets or the Yankees to win the World Series.   The way the season is shaping up, the Yankees look unstoppable,  and for the Mets with the addition of Max Scherzer they finally have a healthy ace to take them the distance.  

With this pick, you get both an AL and NL team, and we could very well have an all New York World Series,  where this bet cashes no matter who wins.  

At +175 to get 2 teams that both very well could win it, statistically the play is to take both teams, so I'll be splashing more on this than each team individually.