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Yankees’ 2020 Win Total Opens at 101.5, Three Games Higher Than Any Other Team

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in MLB Baseball

Updated Mar 31, 2020 · 12:27 PM PDT

Yankees gather on pitcher's mound
Oddsmakers have pegged the 2020 win total of the New York Yankees at 101.5. Photo by Keith Allison (flickr).
  • Sportsbooks have established the 2020 win total of the New York Yankees at 101.5
  • That’s the highest win total assigned to any American League East team
  • The Yankees won an AL East-leading 103 games during the 2019 season

The week has already been a win for the New York Yankees with Derek Jeter getting elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with more votes than any other candidate.

Sportsbooks are of the opinion that the winning will only continue for the Yankees once the 2020 Major League Baseball season gets underway.

The sportsbook has established 101.5 games as the 2020 MLB win totals for the Bronx Bombers. That’s the highest total afforded to any team in the Majors. Here’s how it stacks up in the context of the AL East.

2020 American League East Win Totals

Team 2020 Win Total Over Odds Under Odds
New York Yankees 101.5 -115 -115
Tampa Bay Rays 90.5 -115 -115
Boston Red Sox 88.5 -125 -105
Toronto Blue Jays 75.5 -115 -115
Baltimore Orioles 55.5 -125 -105

Odds taken Jan. 23

Last season, the Yankees won the AL East title with a record of 103-59.

Yankees Overcame Injuries To Succeed

On Aug. 30th of last season, the Yankees placed third baseman Gio Urshela on the injured list due to a left groin injury. It was a history-making move.

Urshela was the 29th different Yankees player to be placed on the injured list during the 2019 season, setting a new MLB record. In total, the Yankees used the IL on 36 different occasions over the course of last season.

By the end of the season, the Bronx Bombers had lost 2,336 man games to injury, the most of any big-league team.

Among the key Yankees who missed significant time due to injury time were pitchers James Paxton, Dellin Betances and Luis Severino, catcher Gary Sanchez, shortstop Didi Gregorius, and outfielders Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Despite this never-ending run of ailments, the Yankees were still able to win 103 games and take the AL East title.

Bronx Bombers Lived Up To Name

The Yankees led the AL in runs scored (943). With 306 home runs, they finished one back of the league-leading Minnesota Twins. Their run differential of +204 was also second-best in the AL.

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That said, the Yanks were third in the MLB RPI index at .529 and exceeded their expected win total of 100. Their winning percentage of .636 also exceeded their expected win percentage of .620.

Cole Pitching In

The Yankees lost to the Houston Astros in the ALCS in six games last season. One of the key components to the success of those Astros was starting pitcher Gerrit Cole.

Last season, Cole, 29, was 20-5. He didn’t lose a regular-season start after May 22. Cole led the AL with a 2.50 ERA and topped the majors with 326 strikeouts.

Now he’s a Yankee. The free-agent signed a nine-year, $324-million pact with the Yanks in December.

Cole, Severino, Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and JA Happ don’t figure to be baseball’s best starting rotation. But it’s a pretty good group.

Considering New York’s potent offense, they also figure to win a lot of times even when they don’t bring their Grade-A stuff to the mound.

Yanks Are World Series Chalk

Sportsbooks list the Yankees as the +350 favorites to win the 2020 World Series. In the AL East, they’re clearly in the driver’s seat.

The 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox parted ways with manager Alex Cora for his connection to the Astros’ cheating scandal. Baseball people are still waiting for the other shoe to drop on a potential cheating scandal involving the BoSox.

The small-market Tampa Bay Rays always punch above their weight class but the Toronto Blue Jays aren’t contenders and the Baltimore Orioles among baseball’s worst teams.

The Yankees won 103 games in 2019 with an injury-riddled lineup. Imagine the damage a healthy group bolstered by Cole can do.

Pick: Over 101.5 (-115)

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