MLB Projected Win Totals

The 2012 MLB Season was one for the ages. The San Francisco Giants miraculously survived six elimination games in the the NLDS and NLCS before sweeping the Detroit Tigers to win their second World Series title in three years. We can only hope the 2013 season can be filled with as much thrill as a year ago.

The 2013 MLB team win totals have been released. These win totals provide an excellent chance to make money if you do your research. I’m going to go through and list my top 5 win totals for 2013 and my reasons why. I will also provide my picks on the remaining 25 teams, but keep in mind that I’ll only be betting my top 5.

Top 5 MLB Win Totals

Philadelphia Phillies OVER 81.5 (-115) – Not much more could have gone wrong for the Phillies in 2012 and they still managed to win 81 games. With a healthy return of Roy Halladay, this is still arguably the best rotation in baseball with Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, John Lannan and Kyle Kendrick. I like the addition of Michael Young and Ben Revere to the lineup, and I expect the both Ryan Howard (played 71 games last year) and Chase Utley (83 games) will be have better luck in the health department. Look for the Phillies to challenge the Nationals and Braves for the NL East crown in 2013.

Pittsburgh Pirates UNDER 79 (-115) – The Pirates will suffer their 21st consecutive losing season in 2013. While this team has been more competitive in recent years, it has gone just 37-76 after August 1st over the previous two seasons. Andrew McCutchen is becoming one of the biggest stars in the game, but he simply doesn’t have much around him. Pittsburgh’s biggest moves this offseason were signing Russell Martin and Travis Snider, but that’s not going to help it win more than the 79 games it won a year ago. These expectations are simply too high for the Pirates in 2013.

Kansas City Royals UNDER 79 (-115) – The Royals have been a popular sleeper pick over the past few years due to their farm system, which has been the deepest in the league. However, these prospects just haven’t been paying dividends in the win-loss column. They added James Shields this offseason, but even he has been inconsistent throughout his career. Wade Davis has pitched much better out of the bullpen than in the rotation, and Ervin Santana is coming off a disastrous 2012 campaign. This young lineup and bullpen is promising, but the Royals haven’t won more than 75 games since 2003 (83), and they’re not going to win more than 79 in 2013.

New York Mets UNDER 74 (-120) – The Mets already have their backs against the wall playing in arguably the toughest division in baseball in the NL East. The Nationals, Braves and Phillies are simply miles ahead of them in the talent department. The have let go of two of their best players in 2011 NL batting champ Jose Reyes and 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey over the past few seasons. This is one of the worst lineups in baseball as they have failed to surround David Wright with much talent. I do believe the rotation has some promise with Niese, Harvey, Gee, Marcum and Santanta, but many of these guys have question marks surrounding them. The bullpen is a mess as well. I look for New York to struggle to reach 70 wins in the tough NL East in 2013.

Los Angeles Dodgers OVER 90 (-115) – The Dodgers enter 2013 with the highest payroll in MLB history. I look for it to pay off as they run away with an NL West division that includes the lowly Rockies and Padres. The Diamondbacks will be improved, but the Giants will take a step back after winning the World Series. This lineup is as dangerous as any with Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier leading the way. The 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation in Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke is as good as any in baseball. Plus, Brandon League and Kenley Jansen certainly know how to close out games in the bullpen. Get your OVER bets in now as this total should only keep rising.

The Other 25

• Arizona Diamondbacks – OVER 81.5 (-120)
• Atlanta Braves – OVER 86 (-115)
• Baltimore Orioles – UNDER 76.5 (-115)
• Boston Red Sox – UNDER 79.5 (-110)
• Chicago Cubs – UNDER 72 (-115)
• Chicago White Sox – OVER 80.5 (-115)
• Cincinnati Reds – OVER 88.5 (-115)
• Cleveland Indians – UNDER 77.5 (-110)
• Colorado Rockies – OVER 71.5 (-115)
• Detroit Tigers – OVER 90 (-115)
• Houston Astros – UNDER 59.5 (-110)
• Los Angeles Angels – OVER 89.5 (-120)
• Miami Marlins – UNDER 64.5 (-120)
• Milwaukee Brewers – OVER 79.5 (-115)
• Minnesota Twins – OVER 64.5 (-115)
• New York Yankees – OVER 86.5 (-115)
• Oakland A’s – OVER 83 (-110)
• San Diego Padres – UNDER 74.5 (-115)
• San Francisco Giants – OVER 86 (-115)
• Seattle Mariners – UNDER 76.5 (-115)
• St. Louis Cardinals – UNDER 86.5 (-115)
• Tampa Bay Rays – UNDER 86 (-115)
• Texas Rangers – UNDER 87 (-115)
• Toronto Blue Jays – OVER 86.5 (-115)
• Washington Nationals – OVER 90 (-115)

About the Author: Jack Jones has been ranked in the Top-5 on the Overall Leaderboard for almost all of 2012 here at Betfirms. He has climbed as high as No. 2 while competing against roughly 80 of the best handicappers in the world. He finished as the No. 6 Ranked Basketball Handicapper from 2011-12, which combines pro and college hoops. His $1,000/game basketball players cashed in $22,310 last season. Head on over to Jack's premium pick page to see what he has in store for tonight!