The All-Star break marks the official halfway point in the baseball season and with it, the contenders and also-rans have started to shape up in both pennant races.
American League
The New York Yankees have been the major disappointment in the America League. After once again spending big in the off season, they have failed to impress and are eight games adrift of their rivals Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
The Yankees are 7/1 to win the division having been pre-season favourites. The Tampa Bay Rays trail Boston by just 1.5 games in a typically competitive division.
In the AL Central, the Chicago White Sox have increased their lead to eight games over Cleveland. The White Sox are all but certain to win the division title and 3/1 to win the American League pennant.
Oakland Athletics and Houston Astros are battling it out once again in the West with the Astros currently in the ascendency as they lead the division by 3.5 games.
However, Oakland, who are 4/1 to win the section, are a streaky team so cannot be discounted entirely.
National League
The fact that the team who boast the best record in the MLB are playing in the NL West will come as no surprise to baseball fans.
However, that the team in question is the San Francisco Giants is something of a shock. The Giants weren’t given much hope of playing anything other than a supporting role at the start of the season, but they continue to run hot after a good start and now boast a record of 57-32.
Trailing in their wake are last season’s World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the upstart San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers are just two games back and the Padres six behind so the division is far from settled just yet. LA are 20/57 to retain their division title, the Giants 17/4 and San Diego 9/2.
In the NL East, the New York Mets have been propelled by the stellar pitching of Jacob deGrom to a 3.5-game lead, with the chasing pack of the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves having failed to set the world alight.
The NL Central, barring any major surprises, looks like it will be between the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds. The Brew Crew currently have a four-game lead in that one.
Star Players
The undoubted star of the baseball season has been Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels.
The Japanese two-way player has been stellar on both sides of the ball this season. The Angels phenomenon leads baseball with 33 home runs, all while compiling a very respectable 3.49 ERA in 13 starts as a pitcher.
It is hard to overstate his impact and he is a shoo-in to win American League MVP at 4/11.
The only player with a superior OPS to Ohtani this season has been the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrerro Jr with a 1.089 record. He is joined on 33 home runs by the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr and the San Diego man is 6/5 to take NL MVP honours.
The standout pitcher of this season has once again been Jacob deGrom. His 1.08 ERA leads the league by a considerable margin and he looks certain to add to his tally of two Cy Young awards.
Kevin Gausman has been a huge part of the Giants’ success this season and has compiled a 1.73 ERA in his 18 starts. He would have a huge Cy Young shout if he wasn’t up against deGrom.
*All odds correct at time of writing