MLB World Series Odds 2015: Royals Lead Betting Favorites, But NL Teams Dominate Top Of List

Less than a year after their improbable run to the World Series, the Kansas City Royals have not slowed down. With the best record in the American League at the 2015 MLB All-Star break, the defending AL pennant winners have the best championship odds in all of baseball.

Kansas City has easily been the AL’s top team this season, going 52-34 before the break, leading the league’s second-best team by six games in the loss column. They had three starters in the All-Star Game, as well as four other players that were named to the team. The Royals have the Majors’ best bullpen with a 2.18 ERA, and only the Detroit Tigers have a better team batting average.

Part of the reason why the Royals are the World Series favorites is because the National League has proven to be tougher than the AL. The St. Louis Cardinals have MLB’s best record at 56-33, but they have the second-best odds in baseball, and they’re tied with the Washington Nationals. Washington sits atop the NL East with 48 wins, and they have two of the top contenders for NL MVP (Bryce Harper) and NL Cy Young (Max Scherzer).

Of the teams with the top eight odds to win the World Series, six play in the NL. Four NL teams have fewer than 40 losses, including the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, while the Royals are the only AL team with that distinction.

Even with so much time left on the schedule, the top NL teams have separated themselves from the rest of the league. It would be a surprise if all three division winners didn’t reach the playoffs, and Pittsburgh has a 5.5-game lead on the Chicago Cubs for the second-wild card spot.

In the American League, the playoff race should prove to be much more competitive. Only two teams in the AL East have a record above .500, but the New York Yankees lead the last-place Boston Red Sox by just 6.5 games. Because each team has a legitimate chance to win the division and reach the postseason, they all have better than 30/1 title odds.

Below is a look at the 2015 World Series odds at the All-Star Break, courtesy of Bovada.lv.

Kansas City Royals 6/1

St. Louis Cardinals 15/2

Washington Nationals 15/2

Los Angeles Dodgers 17/2

Los Angeles Angels 12/1

San Francisco Giants 12/1

Chicago Cubs 14/1

Pittsburgh Pirates 14/1

Houston Astros 16/1

New York Yankees 16/1

Detroit Tigers 20/1

Baltimore Orioles 25/1

Boston Rex Sox 25/1

Toronto Blue Jays 25/1

Tampa Bay Rays 28/1

Texas Rangers 33/1

Cleveland Indians 40/1

Minnesota Twins 40/1

New York Mets 40/1

Chicago White Sox 50/1

Oakland Athletics 50/1

San Diego Padres 50/1

Seattle Mariners 50/1

Atlanta Braves 75/1

Arizona Diamondbacks 100/1

Cincinnati Reds 150/1

Miami Marlins 150/1

Colorado Rockies 300/1

Milwaukee Brewers 500/1

Philadelphia Phillies 1000/1