MLB win totals: 2020 lines updated for 60-game season; can Dodgers or Yankees hit 38 wins?
Plus our favorite over and under picks in each league
By
Mike Axisa
•
2 min read
In the coming days all 30 MLB teams will open training camp -- "summer camp" as MLB is calling it -- and begin preparing for the 2020 baseball season. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the season to be shortened to 60 games. The marathon has become a sprint, and weirdness will ensue. I'm looking forward to it.
Now that we know how many games will be played in 2020, the folks at William Hill Sportsbook have put together over/under win totals for the 30 clubs this season. Let's take a stroll through them, shall we? We begin with the National League:
| Team | Over/under 2020 win total |
|---|---|
38.0 | |
33.5 | |
33.0 | |
32.5 | |
31.5 | |
31.5 | |
31.5 | |
31.5 | |
31.0 | |
30.5 | |
30.5 | |
27.5 | |
25.5 | |
25.0 | |
| Miami Marlins | 24.5 |
Taking the over on 31 wins for the D-Backs seems like easy money to me. I love their depth and their well-rounded roster. Also, the regional schedule means lots of games against the Giants, Mariners, and Rockies. That'll work in Arizona's favor. I expect them to play north of .500 ball this year.
On the flip side, give me the under on the Pirates at 25.5 wins. They're going to be bad and the over/under line reflects that, but I think they're going to be really bad. No Chris Archer and no Jameson Taillon means the rotation is very thin behind Joe Musgrove, and I'm not sure who's supposed to scare me in that lineup other than Josh Bell. I have them closer to 20 wins than 25.
Now here are the over/under win totals for the American League:
| Team | Over/under 2020 win total |
|---|---|
37.5 | |
35.0 | |
34.0 | |
34.0 | |
32.5 | |
32.5 | |
31.5 | |
31.5 | |
31.0 | |
28.5 | |
27.5 | |
25.0 | |
23.5 | |
22.0 | |
20.5 |
The over on the Rangers seems like a good bet to me. Joey Gallo is healthy and even a fading Corey Kluber will be an upgrade over what Texas got from their starters other than Lance Lynn and Mike Minor last season. That's not an easy division with the A's, Astros, and Angels (plus interleague against the Dodgers), but I see the Rangers at least getting to .500 in 2020.
As for the requisite under, gosh, I think it has to be the Orioles. Their best 60-game stretch last year was 24-36 and that was with Dylan Bundy, Andrew Cashner, Trey Mancini, and Jonathan Villar. Those guys are all gone now and they've been replaced by no one in particular. Their regional schedule is brutal as well. The under on the Orioles might be the easiest bet here. (Now prepare for the O's to randomly win 35 games.)
