MLB Betting: Does the American League Go Through Tampa Bay?

As we near the halfway point of the season, there's no better time to see who may be walking away with the American League pennant.

The AL is a bit more wide open this year after being dominated by Houston Astros the last two seasons.

Here are the five teams with the best odds to win the AL, per the American League betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

1. Tampa Bay Rays (+200)

The Tampa Bay Rays have been the American League's -- and all of baseball's -- best team for nearly the entire first half. They're thriving despite playing in a brutally tough AL East.

Tampa Bay has benefited from kicking off the season with 13 straight wins -- tied for a modern-era record. Their offense is rivaled by only the Atlanta Braves' attack. Led by the likes of Randy Arozarena, Wander Franco and Yandy Diaz, the Rays have the second-best weighted on-base average in the league (trailing Atlanta) at .346. Powered by the 15 home runs of Jose Siri and 14 of Arozarena, Tampa Bay has 124 homers on the season (third-most in MLB).

The Rays, who lead the league in weighted runs created plus (wRC+) at 127, have a balanced lineup up and down the order, and it's what makes them so tough for opposing pitchers.

On the pitching end of things, the Rays are 10th in skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) at a 3.97 clip. What is worth noting is that Shane McClanahan left his last start due to a back injury, and while he's expected to start Friday, the Rays' ace showed decreased velocity due to the injury. Assuming it doesn't linger, there's still a truth about McClanahan's season that some may not realize. While he's been one of baseball's best pitchers, he holds a 3.94 SIERA compared to his 2.23 ERA. He's going to need to be healthy and find his form from a season ago if the Rays want the pennant.

At +200, the Rays are the clear betting favorite.

2. Texas Rangers (+440)

If there's anyone in the AL who can match the Rays' offense, it's the Texas Rangers.

Texas is second since May 1st in both wOBA and wRC+ at .347 and 123, respectively.

Corey Seager is one of the best offensive players in the sport these days, and he's helped make those around him better. Seager is destroying the ball with a massive 52.5% hard-hit rate and a .427 wOBA. Only Shohei Ohtani has a higher wOBA, while Seager's hard-hit rate would be the highest among qualifiers.

Where the Rangers could falter in the hopes of getting their first AL pennant since 2011 is with their pitching. After Jacob deGrom went down, the road through the playoffs got a lot harder, but they've done their best without their key free agent signing. The Rangers have a 4.15 SIERA (17th), but their 4.00 fielding independent pitching (FIP) ranks 8th, making them pretty middle of the pack all things considered.

The Rangers will likely have a fight on their hands to hold off Houston and win the AL West, but they're looking like legit title contenders right now.

3. Houston Astros (+480)

As back-to-back AL pennant winners and the reigning World Series Champions, the Astros have earned these odds -- even if they haven't been at their best this season.

Much of the reason they hold a 42-37 record and are looking up at both the Los Angeles Angels and Rangers in the AL West is due to their offense not being the usual dominant force of past seasons. Yordan Alvarez, who was one of the best hitters in baseball last season, has still been able to lead the way with 17 home runs and a .411 wOBA, but his strikeout rate has gone from 18.9% to 22.7%. Plus, he's been out injured. Alex Bregman continues to see his hard-hit rate trending down, which isn't a positive sign.

The Astros' offense currently ranks 20th with a .313 wOBA and 15th with a 99 wRC+. They've been pretty average. But with their pitching being as good as it's been, the +480 odds are still pretty reasonable at this stage.

Led by Framber Valdez and rookie Hunter Brown, the pitching has been elite. The Astros' pitching staff owns a 3.94 FIP (6th), 3.88 SIERA (8th), and 24.9% strikeout rate (5th). As we've seen with the Astros in seasons past, a good lineup is a big help, but it's pitching that usually leads the charge during their October runs.

Despite being in third place in their division, Houston has respectable +200 odds to win the AL West, per the MLB division odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. At +480 to win the AL, oddsmakers haven't backed off this team much, and as we've seen in recent years, betting against Houston is usually a losing endeavor.

4. New York Yankees (+900)

The current iteration of the New York Yankees feels like a long shot to do anything noteworthy in October, but if New York can ever get 100% healthy, things may be different -- which is why they're the fourth-favorite in the AL.

Aaron Judge's absence has been detrimental to the offense -- to the point where they've been the worst offense in baseball since his toe injury. Overall this year, the Yankees sit at 21st in wRC+ (94) and 24th in wOBA (.305).

That isn't going to bring them to the World Series, and the return of Judge probably won't be enough to completely fix the offense. It'll help, but they'll need their pitching staff to receive a big bump when Carlos Rodon eventually makes his debut.

New York is 13th in SIERA this season with a 4.06 mark. That's not bad, but it's also the worst clip among AL East teams -- which says a lot about how good the AL East is.

With a poor offense and a pitching staff that is more good than great, the Yankees are a tough sell right now, even at this +900 number. Heck, they're barely a playoff team. In short, a lot will need to go right for the Yanks to make a run to the World Series.

5. Minnesota Twins (+1200)

The Minnesota Twins have the fifth-best odds to win the pennant, and a lot of that has to do with being in a poor division. At 40-42, Minnesota would be last in the AL East.

No team in baseball strikes out at a higher rate than the Twins do (26.9%). The next closest division leader is the Rays, who are in 18th in the league. It's how the Twins' offense is made up, but the good news for them is that they're doing damage when they make contact, blasting 104 home runs, the eighth-most.

The Twins are carried by their pitching. They boast a 3.75 SIERA, the best in all of the MLB. Minnesota also ranks first in FIP at 3.68. On the back of a rotation featuring Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray as well as a bullpen headed by shutdown reliever Jhoan Duran, the Twins just need to get into the playoffs and they'll have some pieces to be dangerous.

If the Twins do make any sort of noise in the postseason, it'll snap an 18-game playoff losing streak.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.