Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
The most successful franchise in American sports history, the New York Yankees have championship expectations every year. It’s no different in the 2022 season, for which the Yankees have one of the best odds to win the World Series.
The Yankees are among the betting favorites to become champions, something the team hasn’t done in over a decade. New York has made five straight playoff appearances and won more games than any American League team since 2010 with no World Series appearances to show for it.
The 2021 season was marked by another playoff disappointment. New York didn’t even make it to the division series, losing to the rival Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Game. After a quiet winter before the lockout, there are real concerns that the Yankees won’t fare any better this season.
Here’s a closer look at the Yankees’ 2022 betting odds
New York Yankees Championship Odds
The Yankees have +900 odds (10% implied probability) to win the 2022 World Series at DraftKings Sportsbook. Only the championship favorite Los Angeles Dodgers have better odds to win the title than New York. The Houston Astros (+900) are tied with the Yankees as the top teams in the AL.
Even though the Astros and Yankees have identical World Series odds, Houston is favored to win the AL pennant with +425 odds. New York has +500 odds to reach the Fall Classic, playing in the league’s best division.
Four AL East teams won more than 90 games a season ago. The Yankees’ 92-70 mark was only good enough for third place in the division. The Yankees are the slightest of division favorites with +185 odds for a first-place finish. They’ll get plenty of competition from the upstart Toronto Blue Jays (+190). The Tampa Bay Rays (+300) have been the AL wins’ leader in back-to-back seasons. The Reds Sox (+550) can challenge for the AL East Crown, as well.
A remarkable stretch of 26 straight seasons with a winning record has made the Yankees perennial contenders. New York should play meaningful games in September, even in its worst-case scenario.
Can a Yankee win MVP, Cy Young or Rookie of the Year?
It’s an important season for Aaron Judge, who enters the final year of his contract as the Yankees’ best hope for AL MVP with +1500 odds at DraftKings. Only reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani (+300), Mike Trout (+350) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+400) have better odds than the right fielder. Judge finished fourth in the 2021 voting, hitting .287/.383/.544 with 39 home runs. Giancarlo Stanton has +4500 MVP odds after hitting 35 home runs in his first full season in the Big Apple since 2018. DJ LeMahieu is a long shot at +7000, posting a disappointing .711 OPS in 2021 after a pair of top-four MVP finishes in 2019 and 2020.
Ace Gerrit Cole has +450 odds to win the AL Cy Young award, making him the favorite. The right-hander was the runner-up for the award last year with a 3.23 ERA in 181.1 innings, but he ended the season on a sour note. Cole pitched to a 5.13 ERA in September and only lasted two innings in the Wild Card game, taking the loss.
Pitcher Luis Gil is tied for 13th with +3000 odds for AL Rookie of the Year. Gil has a 3.07 ERA in six career MLB starts. The 23-year-old could end up being a key part of a Yankees’ rotation that is filled with question marks beyond Cole.
Who is the best player on the Yankees?
Judge is the heart and soul of the Yankees. New York has a 106-74 record with Judge over the last two seasons and a 23-23 record when he doesn’t play. The problem is that Judge has trouble staying on the field, missing 29% of the team’s games in the last four years. Judge’s durability in the 2022 season could determine whether the Yankees sign him to a long-term contract or let him walk in free agency.
Cole was supposed to be the best player on the Yankees when New York gave him a record-setting $324 million contract. The pitcher’s struggles since MLB’s crackdown on foreign substances, however, suggest that he could have trouble meeting those expectations.
No Yankee has performed better in big moments than Stanton over the last two seasons. The slugger terrorized Tampa Bay in the 2020 ALDS with a 1.426 OPS, six home runs and 13 RBI. Stanton was one of the few Yankees who showed up in last year’s wild-card loss at Fenway Park with three hits and a homer.
Unwilling to pay for any of the top free agents in the offseason, the Yankees are betting that they have enough stars to make a World Series run.
How can I bet on the Yankees?
Legal sportsbooks in New York like DraftKings offer the latest odds on the Yankees for a variety of MLB betting markets. Sign up using a DraftKings promo code and see all the different options available to New York residents.
