In the 60-game MLB pandemic season, 40 wins would be the equivalent of a monstrous 108-win season. The LA Dodgers and NY Yankees are the highest teams on the MLB win totals board, with 38 wins and 37 wins respectively, according to the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas. But does any other team, like the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, or Atlanta Braves, have a shot at 40-plus wins?
If teams can play .667 ball over an entire 162-game season, they’d secure 108 wins. In 2019, only three American League teams won 100-plus games: the Minnesota Twins (101), NY Yankees (103), and the Houston Astros (107). Last season, the Dodgers (106) were the only team in the National League to win 100-plus games.
The Washington Nationals are the defending champions, but Westgate lists the Nats’ win total at 32.5 over/under. The Nats are tied for the third-highest win total in the National League with the Cincinnati Reds. They trail the Dodgers and the Braves.
The upcoming MLB season is shrouded in excitement and uncertainty. One of the biggest knocks against baseball is its grueling 162-game season where the majority of teams have zero shot at a championship, and more than half the season is utterly meaningless. However, with a 60-game schedule, every single game counts.
Any team that starts the season with a multi-game losing streak will doom themselves. On the flip side, any team that jumps out of the gate with a sizzling start will put themselves in the best position to win their division and have a legit shot at 40 wins.
Yanks, Astros Top the AL
The Astros have the second-highest win total in the American League at 35 over/under. Everyone will be gunning for the Astros this season in the wake of their cheating scandal. The Astros lost their ace, Gerrit Cole, to free agency when he skipped Houston to join the New York Yankees.
Aside from the Yankees and Astros, can anyone else in the AL make a run at 40 wins? The Minnesota Twins, led by the Bomba Squad, seem the most likely candidate. The Twins set a new MLB record with most home runs in a season last year.
The Tampa Rays might have the best edge. The lack of fans won’t bother them because they were one of the worst-attended teams in the big leagues over the past couple of seasons. An empty ballpark might feel weird to big-market teams, but the Rays are used to hearing lots of echoes and crickets at the Trop.
AL WIN TOTALS
New York Yankees 37
Houston Astros 35
Minnesota Twins 34.5
Tampa Bay Rays 34
Oakland A’s 33.5
Cleveland Indians 32.5
Chicago White Sox 32
LA Angels 30.5
Boston Red Sox 30
Texas Rangers 28.5
Toronto Blue Jays 28
Kansas City Royals 24.5
Seattle Mariners 24
Detroit Tigers 22
Baltimore Orioles 21
The Chicago White Sox are a hip pick this season with the return of Yoan Moncada. The Sox are in the middle of the pack with 32 wins, but if the Twins have an off-year, the ChiSox will be the ones to blame.
The LA Angels have a new manager with Joe Maddon. Maddon helped the Cubs break their World Series curse, but got run out of Chicago when the team quickly declined. If anyone can help establish a winning culture in the shadows of Disneyland, it’s Maddon.
Dodgers … Again?
The Atlanta Braves flew under the radar last season, winning the NL East with 97 victories. The Westgate lists the Braves’ win total at 33.5 over/under, which is second-highest in the NL behind the Dodgers. The stacked NL East also includes the defending champion Nationals, who sport a 32.5 win total.
The NY Mets have high expectations after a breakout rookie season from Pete Alonso. If Alonso can avoid the sophomore slump, they could make a run at an NL East crown. But the Mets are too dysfunctional at this point, and the impending sale of the team could continue to cast a dark cloud over CitiField in Queens.
NL WIN TOTALS
LA Dodgers 38
Atlanta Braves 33.5
Cincinnati Reds 32.5
Washington Nationals 32.5
Chicago Cubs 32
Arizona Diamondbacks 31.5
New York Mets 31.5
St. Louis Cardinals 31.5
Philadelphia Phillies 30.5
San Diego Padres 30.5
Milwaukee Brewers 30
Colorado Rockies 27.5
Miami Marlins 24.5
Pittsburgh Pirates 24.5
San Francisco Giants 24
The NL Central cannibalized itself last season. The Cardinals won the division with 91 wins. The closest divisional race in 2019 came down to the final weekend of the season. Only 2.5 wins separate the top four NL Central teams: the Reds (32.5), Cubs (32), Cardinals (31.5), and Brewers (30).
The Pittsburgh Pirates are fighting with the lowly Miami Marlins and rebooted San Francisco Giants for control of the NL basement. The Pirates might end up sharing PNC Ballpark with the Toronto Blue Jays, who are currently without a home stadium.
