Three MLB Futures Bets to Make After the All-Star Break

With the second half of the baseball season getting underway, it’s a good time to find some valuable futures.

Unlike preseason futures, we have a much better feel for what teams are good and who might struggle down the stretch.

Here are three of my favorite post-All-Star Game futures in baseball.

Guardians o84.5 Wins -110

Cleveland is one of the worst watches in baseball, but year after year they find themselves contending for a playoff spot in the weak AL Central. This year will be no different, as I believe they will be in a great spot down the stretch. The Guardians have the easiest remaining schedule in baseball, playing only three teams with winning records and one division leader.

They’ll also be adding Jose Ramirez, the best player in franchise history, and Angel Martinez, who leads the team in home runs despite missing the last month with injury. They only have to go 34-31 the rest of the way to cash this over. This will be a 5-10 unit play from me.

Brewers to win World Series +1000

I’m far less confident about this second bet, but something has to give in the NL. One, the Brewers eventually have to pull through when it matters in the postseason. This is probably the most complete iteration of the Brewers that we’ve seen the last few years.

They rank fourth in runs per game, 9th in OPS, 2nd in ERA, 2nd in WHIP, and 2nd in K/9, which has led to the second-best record in baseball. Jacob Misiorowski is turning into the best starter in the sport, and the bullpen has the 5th-best ERA in the sport. Even with how great the Dodgers continue to be, they’re going to have to lose in the playoffs at some point, so why not this year for the Brewers?

Bobby Witt Jr. MVP +500

The AL MVP race is turning into a three-horse race between Yordan Alvarez, Junior Caminero, and Bobby Witt Jr. Caminero luckily avoided injury after getting hit in the hand during the All-Star Game, but I still think he is statistically a few steps behind the other two players in this race.

Yordan is having an elite season at the plate and has avoided IL stints when minor injury issues have popped up throughout the year. He’s a guy who’s struggled to stay healthy his whole career, so I wouldn’t be shocked if any smaller injuries pop up during a long second half. But more than just that, Witt deserves far more respect in this MVP race.

He currently leads the AL in WAR with 4.8, and while he doesn’t have the raw hitting stats of Alvarez, carrying a slash line of .286/.355/.461 with 13 home runs, 30 SBs, and the best defense at his position will leave him in contention for MVP. Essentially, this bet is a bet on the nerds. I expect Witt to continue to outpace Alvarez in WAR, and hoping that’s enough to warrant an MVP.