Nothing spells more anticipation for sportsbooks than the return of Big 4 sports, especially baseball. Here’s who the sportsbooks are backing in this shortened MLB season.

This season, baseball has just 60 games, with both leagues featuring a designated hitter and all extra innings starting with a runner on second. Fans are short on games, but long on enthusiasm, welcoming back major sports after months on lockdown.

Of course, fans can’t cheer from the stands for now, but Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill U.S., told sportsquare the empty bleachers won’t discourage bettors.

“We’ve seen increased action on returning sports like UFC, soccer and golf, but baseball will bring an additional wave of customers back to sportsbooks. The volume of games provides extra ways for customers to bet. While more customers are betting on other sports, there (was) still a significant group waiting for baseball.”

Baseball’s return is a big deal, with many opportunities for customers to win from spreads, in-game play, futures and prop bets.

The 60-game season—compared to the typical 162-game schedule—should be enough for sports-hungry fans, and the designated hitter rule in the National League will increase the number of runs scored, simply by not having the pitcher waste a bat.

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Hitting the Books

Weighing in on would-be winners, Bogdanovich summed up his division picks:

• AL East: New York Yankees -300
• AL Central: Minnesota Twins -140
• AL West: Houston Astros -150
• NL East: Atlanta Braves +200
• NL Central: Cincinnati Reds +220
• NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers -650

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And here are the odds on PlaySugarHouse.com:

2020 MLB Odds: Win Totals 

• AL East: Yankees (37.5), Rays (33.5), Red Sox (31.5), Blue Jays (27.5), Orioles (20.5)
• AL Central: Twins (34.5), Indians (32.5), White Sox (31.5), Royals (23.5), Tigers (21.5)
• AL West: Astros (35.5), Athletics (33.5), Angels (31.5), Rangers (28.5), Mariners (24.5)
• NL East: Braves (34.5), Nationals (33.5), Mets (32.5), Phillies (31.5), Marlins (24.5)
• NL Central: Cardinals (32.5), Cubs (32.5), Reds (31.5), Brewers (30.5), Pirates (25.5)
• NL West: Dodgers (37.5), Diamondbacks (31.5), Padres (30.5), Rockies (26.5), Giants (25.5)

2020 MLB Odds: World Series Winner

• Dodgers +375
• Yankees +400
• Astros +850
• Braves +1300
• Twins +1600
• Rays +1800
• Nationals +1900
• Mets +2000
• Cardinals/Cubs/Phillies +2200
• Athletics/Indians/Reds/White Sox +2500
• Angels/Brewers +3500

2020 MLB Odds: AL Winner

• Yankees +175
• Astros +350
• Rays/Twins +800
• Indians +1100
• Athletics +1200
• Red Sox +1300
• Angels/White Sox +1500
• Blue Jays/Rangers +5000
• Mariners/Royals +25000
• Orioles/Tigers +35000

2020 MLB Odds: NL Winner

• Dodgers +170
• Braves +600
• Nationals +750
• Cardinals/Mets +900
• Cubs/Phillies +1100
• Reds +1500
• Brewers +2000
• Padres +2200
• Diamondbacks +3000
• Rockies +7000
• Pirates +10000
• Giants +125000
• Marlins +35000

Most Home Runs: Joey Gallo/Mike Trout +1000, Pete Alonso/Giancarlo Stanton +1100, Cody Bellinger +1800, Nolan Arenado/Aaron Judge/Ronald Acuna +2000

Most Stolen Bases: Adalberto Mondesi +200, Mallex Smith +400, Trea Turner +600, Ronald Acuna +900, Victor Robles +1600, Starling Marte +1800, Whit Merrifield +2500

A.L. MVP: Mike Trout +200, Aaron Judge +800, Francisco Lindor +1000, Anthony Rendon +1400, Alex Bregman/Matt Champman/Josh Donaldson/Gleyber Torres +2000

N.L. MVP: Mookie Betts +550, Cody Bellinger +700, Christian Yellich +700, Ronald Acuna +900, Juan Soto +1000, Nolan Arenado/Javier Baez/Bryce Harper +1800

A.L. Cy Young: Gerrit Cole +275, Justin Verlander +700, Shane Bieber + 800, Blake Snell +900

N.L. Cy Young: Jacob deGrom +350, Max Scherzer +400, Walker Buehler/Jack Flaherty +800

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