MLB Futures Predictions 2020: MLB Betting Picks For 60-Game Season

Brian Sausa, Last Updated: June 28th, 2024 - NJ Sports Betting - Free $3,250 For Sports Bets In New Jersey

The dog days of summer usually mark the middle of a long baseball season but this year is unlike any other, and we’re prepping for the shortened season in the middle of July by giving out some 2020 MLB predictions!

After spring training was halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unsure there would be a Major League Baseball season at all. Fast forward a few months, and pro baseball is returning with a shortened season that will begin on July 23rd and run through late October, the usual ending point for the World Series.

Each team will play a 60-game regular season before five teams from each league reach the postseason and play under the same format we’ve come to know in recent seasons.

Baseball’s absence has not gone unnoticed at online sportsbooks, as there are plenty of bettors who loves the everyday grind of the schedule and the wide range of betting markets to choose from thanks to a slate of MLB games.

Luckily, we’re all about to get our chance to catch the action on the diamond once again and bettors all over the United States are ready to win some money in the process. Below, we’ll get into some of our favorite futures markets and 2020 MLB betting predictions!

MLB Futures Picks: How To Bet On MLB Games

Sportsbooks have waited months for the betting public to return and now that baseball is coming back, betting sites in New Jersey and across the country are responding with a huge number of markets covering a wide range of categories.

Choose from the following markets when making MLB futures predictions:

• World Series Winner
• League Winner
• Division Winner
• Regular Season Wins (By Team)
• To Make The Playoffs (Yes/No)
• Awards (MVP, Cy Young, Home Run leader, etc.)

Before the season even starts, there are well over a dozen markets to choose from with odds provided for every single team and many different players as well. Regardless of your personal preferences, there is a bet type and a wager for every kind of bettor, assuming you are playing on a reputable site that offers a strong stable of markets.

Best Sportsbooks For MLB Futures Betting

MLB Division Predictions

One of the most popular preseason baseball bet types is a futures wager on the winner of a specific division.

These bets are popular because they provide a rooting interest throughout the entire season, which in this case is only a couple of months. Another perk of these wagers is that you can find pretty lucrative odds depending on which divisions you choose.

Two of the six (AL East, NL West) have extremely lopsided odds, so we’ve chosen two of the four choices left for our MLB division winner predictions, using odds from DraftKings Sportsbook:

• Atlanta Braves win NL East (+215)

The NL East is expected to be one of the most tightly-contested divisions in the league, with the top four teams all having odds of +325 or better. All should all be fairly decent but in our mind, this division still belongs to the Atlanta Braves, especially if you give us a chance to double our money.

The loss of Josh Donaldson is big but the addition of Marcell Ozuna, Yasiel Puig, and a healthy Freddie Freeman should be enough to offset the loss when combined with the likes of NL MVP hopeful Ronald Acuña, switch-hitter Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson in the lineup.

Young arms such as Mike Soroka, Max Fried, and Mike Foltynewicz combine with veteran Cole Hamels to give Atlanta a stable rotation. There could be a battle down the stretch with Washington and the Mets specifically, but there’s great value in taking the Braves to win the NL East.

At worst, Atlanta is nearly even-money to make the playoffs in some form (-120 on DraftKings).

• Chicago Cubs Win NL Central (+225)

The NL Central is another competitive division, with four of the five teams having +300 odds or lower. This is by no means an easy selection and the Cubs haven’t had the smoothest of offseasons, but the +225 odds scream value when looking at the competition.

No lineup with Javy Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ian Happ, Willson Contreras can be discounted, and it’s not even a team that should need all that much offense. Chicago will need a little more from Jon Lester and Yu Darvish anchoring the rotation but with Jeremy Jeffress and Craig Kimbrel on the back end, Chicago is playing seven-inning baseball games.

Before the Cubs’ core possibly gets broken up, we like David Ross’ team to return to the top of the NL Central over St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee.

MLB Win Total Predictions 2020

Another common futures wager made by baseball bettors surrounds the total number of wins for each team.

Since we are usually guessing based on 162-game schedule, making the same picks based on just 60 games is definitely a bit tougher since a short season is volatile and every game is worth nearly three.

With that said, here are some teams to consider for 2020 MLB win total predictions:

• Oakland Athletics Over 33.5 Wins (-112)

The Athletics were one of the very best offensive teams in baseball last season and with much of the same lineup, we expect that to remain. The questions for Oakland come when we discuss the pitching staff, but we think they could actually be built for 2020.

With big arms such as Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk set to join the rotation and the like od Liam Hendriks and Lou Trivino on the back end, the Athletics’ staff is more well-rounded now than it has been in recent seasons.

The key will be avoiding the slow start we’ve seen from this team before but if they do, getting to 34 wins is definitely doable for Oakland.

• Pittsburgh Pirates Under 25.5 Wins (-134)

It may not be any easier to go after unders compared to overs, but this one stands out. The NL Central is pretty loaded with Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee all expected to vie for the division title.

That leaves the Pirates and with a division-heavy schedule, it may be tough to get to 26 wins without as much firepower in the lineup as the teams they’ll play.

2020 World Series Predictions: Who Will Win The World Series This Year?

Guessing which team will win the World Series given the current situation feels like a more difficult task than doing so before the start of a normal season. With just 60 games on the schedule we are definitely in for some surprises and unexpected turns, but how will it shape up once late October arrives?

Here are a couple of suggestions for where to put your money if making 2020 World Series betting predictions

• New York Yankees (+400)

If we’re looking at favorites, look no further than the Yankees. They’ve got the lowest odds in the AL and the second-lowest overall for a reason, and they’re going to be there at the end.

The rotation added Cy Young runner-up Gerrit Cole to join James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka, who is recovering well after taking a comebacker off the head recently. The bullpen featuring Adam Ottavino, Zach Britton, and Aroldis Chapman shortens games like no other.

Throw in a lineup that scored more runs than any other in baseball last season. Names like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, Gary Sanchez, and Miguel Andujar are sure to create problems for any pitching staff. Even if the odds aren’t great, it could be fun having a wager on the Yankees in 2020.

• New York Mets (+2000)

For the sake of not taking the favorite in both the AL and the NL, we’ll avoid the Dodgers and look for some value. This leaves a group of NL East and NL Central teams as the most likely targets, with Atlanta, Washington, and the Mets having the next lowest odds.

The Braves (+1300) are the most qualified team but there’s more value on Washington (+1900) and the Mets (+2000), so we’re going with the other New York team.

It’s hard to decipher which NL East team(s) even find a way into the postseason but we’re taking the route that if New York does, its deep pitching rotation will be enough to make them a threat in any series. Even without Noah Syndergaard, a Jacob deGrom-led staff featuring Marcus Stroman at the top is nothing to sneeze at.

The lineup is anchored by Pete Alonso and Michael Conforto but a healthy Yoenis Cespedes could be the spark the Mets need. It’s a huge question but if New York can remain relatively healthy, this price is worth a look.

MLB Best Bets 2020

• Atlanta Braves win NL East (+215)
• Chicago Cubs Win NL Central (+225)
• Oakland Athletics Over 33.5 Wins (-112)
• Pittsburgh Pirates Under 25.5 Wins (-134)
• NY Yankees Win World Series (+400)
• NY Mets Win World Series (+2000)

ABOUT Brian Sausa

Brian Sausa is BonusSeeker’s Copy Editor and lead sports betting pundit. A journalism graduate with an extensive sports background, Brian has been employed by multiple professional leagues including MLB, MiLB (Minor League Baseball), and the NHL. MLB, NHL, IBTimes, Brooklyn Cyclones, FanSided