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The Tampa Bay Rays are the defending American League champions, but not many people are betting on a repeat in 2021. Let’s scan through who are the favorites in the AL and talk about who could emerge as a darkhorse to win the pennant in October.
The Yankees and White Sox are just dominating the action, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The Yankees (+230) have taken in 53% of the handle and 44% of the bets. If you combine what the Yankees and White Sox (+380) have commanded, you exceed 80% of the handle and reach nearly 80% of the bets. No other AL team has received more than 5% in either category. Meanwhile, the Rays have just 1% of the handle and 3% of the bets.
I think the best under-the-radar bet to win the pennant is the Houston Astros (+1000). They have taken in 2% of the handle and 2% of the bets. A lot of the Astros’ stars struggled during the 2020 shortened season, but there are a lot of proven, high-level bats in that lineup who should rebound in 2021. The starting rotation has Zack Greinke, Lance McCullers and a few young pitchers — Jose Urquidy, Cristian Javier and the currently injured Framber Valdez — who not enough people know about yet. Also, the first step to a pennant is winning your division, and the American League West is still a pretty weak group.
AL Pennant Betting Splits
| Handle Rank | Team | Odds | % of Handle | % of Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handle Rank | Team | Odds | % of Handle | % of Bets |
| 1 | NY Yankees | +230 | 53% | 44% |
| 2 | CHI White Sox | +380 | 30% | 35% |
| 3 | OAK Athletics | +900 | 3% | 3% |
| 4 | TOR Blue Jays | +875 | 2% | 5% |
| 5 | HOU Astros | +1000 | 2% | 2% |
| 6 | BOS Red Sox | +2300 | 2% | 2% |
| 7 | MIN Twins | +750 | 2% | 2% |
| 8 | LA Angels | +2000 | 2% | 2% |
| 9 | TB Rays | +850 | 1% | 3% |
| 10 | CLE Indians | +2000 | < 1% | 1% |
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