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2020 MLB Oakland Athletics World Series Odds & Picks

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read

Oakland Continues to Overachieve
Given Its Resources

Nearly two decades after Moneyball was published, Billy Beane is still getting it done in Oakland. The Athletics went to the postseason five times in the 2010s despite continually having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, but they have yet to achieve any real postseason success.

They have been one-and-done in the playoffs in those five appearances, losing the Wild Card game in each of its last three trips to the postseason. Hope springs eternal though, and a talented young rotation could help the A’s break that postseason drought.

2020 Oakland Athletics World Series
Betting Online Odds at FanDuel: +2500

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

2020 Oakland Athletics
Season World Series Odds Overview

Oakland has won 97 games in each of the last two seasons, and the Athletics have been the hottest team in baseball the second half of the year in each of those campaigns. Their reputation of falling short in the playoffs has led to relatively high odds for this franchise to win the World Series though. The A’s are just barely seen as one of the top teams in baseball per the World Series betting odds.

American League West

The AL West is more open than it has been the last three seasons with MLB coming down hard on the Astros. Houston is still an odds-on favorite to win the division at FanDuel, but Oakland isn’t far behind with odds of +250 to win the AL West. The Angels could emerge as a contender too, while the Rangers are seen as a year away and the Mariners are in a total rebuild.

On the Hill

This rotation has the potential to be the best in baseball given its talent from one to five. Veteran Mike Fiers is the nominal ace, but he could be supplanted by the end of the season with the younger arms coming into their own.

Fiers was 15-4 with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.186 WHIP in 2019. He posted the second-lowest strikeout rate of his career with a 6.1 K/9, but he offset that by continually challenging the edges of the strike zone. That led to nine hit batters and 13 wild pitches, but that’s a tradeoff you will take for those numbers.

Jesus Luzardo has yet to start a game in the big leagues, but there is plenty of buzz surrounding the hard-throwing southpaw. He averaged more than a strikeout an inning at every level in the minors, and he has three out pitches to go with an elite fastball. There is an injury risk after he missed a couple months due to a strained rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, but the potential is there for all to see.

Sean Manaea was lights out in 29.2 innings of work last year. Manaea was 4-0 in five starts with a 0.775 WHIP and a 1.21 ERA, and batters had significant trouble with all his pitches. As with Luzardo, there is an injury risk after he missed significant time due to a shoulder injury, but he does an excellent job of keeping hitters off balance.

At the Plate

For the second straight season, Matt Chapman was voted the best defensive player in the American League. Chapman has two consecutive Gold Gloves and two consecutive Platinum Gloves, so anything you can get with his bat is a plus. Fortunately for Oakland, he has been an above-average hitter in each of his three seasons in the majors. He hit a career-high 36 home runs and finished last season with an .848 OPS.

Marcus Semien is coming off a career year. Semien’s offensive production went through the roof as he led the Athletics with an 8.9 WAR, and he posted an OPS over 150 points higher than his previous career high (.892 OPS). His strikeout numbers declined dramatically as his walks increased, and he hit 33 home runs to help carry Oakland down the stretch. Some regression is expected, but he is still one of the top shortstops in the AL.

Can Khris Davis have a bounce-back season in 2020? From 2016 to 2018, Davis was Mr. Consistent with a .247 batting average with 40 home runs and 100 RBIs in each of those three seasons. His numbers took a dive last year as he managed to hit just .220 with 23 home runs, and a career-low .679 OPS. He should post better numbers than he did in 2019, and if he can match his production from a years ago, the A’s will be even scarier at the plate.

2020 Oakland Athletics World Series Projection

There’s a lot to like about the A’s. The starting rotation has the potential to be the best in baseball, and they have some good hitters in the lineup. At 25-1, they are an intriguing sleeper pick to win the World Series.

2020 Oakland Athletics World Series Free Pick:
Worth a shot

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

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