Ultimate New York Yankees 2021 Season Odds and Sports Betting Guide
The New York Yankees are slated to begin the 2021 MLB season on Opening Day this April 1st. Its first series will be against the Toronto Blue Jays in a season where New York, like many other seasons, will be expected to accomplish a lot.
And New York should be teeming with plenty of motivation after last year’s finish.
In 2020, the Yankees disappointed by its standards finishing second in the AL East and losing to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3-2 in the Division Series. Missing expectations, the team notably struggled with injuries to its key players throughout the season, which caused an inconsistent and an early finish in the playoffs.
This season, the Yankees are again at the top of the MLB’s favorites list. Since Opening Day is right around the corner, let's take a look through the 2021 New York Yankees betting preview, as we examine four New Jersey sportsbooks to find some of the team’s special betting lines available.
New York Yankees Regular Season Wins/To Make the Playoffs
Specific bets on the Yankees come based on the team’s regular season performance. In the 2020 shortened MLB season, the Yankees had a .550 win percentage and still made the playoffs despite injuries to some of it’s best players.
In both of manager Aaron Boone’s first two seasons with the Yankees before 2020, the team has hit 100 wins. While the team’s 2020 offseason was relatively quiet, it did acquire two-time Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber and potential No. 2 starter Jameson Taillon from Pittsburgh. Departures from the 2020 team are extremely minor.
This along with a healthy roster all points to a 2021 Yankees team that will be better than the previous year. In addition, each of the Yankees’ AL East opponents have gotten worse on paper in the offseason, with none having a top quality rotation.
American League MVP Award
Aaron Judge | +1200 |
DJ LeMahieu | +3000 |
Gleyber Torres | +2500 |
Giancarlo Stanton | +4000 |
Geritt Cole | +5000 |
Aaron Hicks | +6000 |
Gary Sanchez | +8000 |
Players to Hit the Most Home Runs
Sportsbooks have a pair of Yankees as two players who are among the likeliest to hit the most home runs in the upcoming season. Rightfielder Aaron Judge is no doubt the favorite here, coming back from an injury-filled 2020 season.
Both players reached career highs for home runs in 2017, with Judge hitting 52 and Stanton at 59.
The biggest concern is whether the two can stay healthy all season, which will be a necessity to win the bet. The Yankees do seem due for some sort of redemption this season after 2020, and the team’s sluggers will be expected to lead them this season.
Great news for the Yankees is that the AL East has some of the worst pitching rotations outside of New York. None of the team’s division rivals have a solid rotation, with Toronto, Baltimore and Boston especially poor looking.
With most of the games coming against these teams, the Yankees’ sluggers should enjoy more opportunities than other hitters in this market.
American League Cy Young Award
The Yankees are without a doubt going into the 2021 season with the best starting rotation in the AL East, and one of the league’s best. Clearly no shortage of options here, PointsBet Sportsbook has nearly the entire starting rotation listed as contenders for the American League’s best pitcher award.
Geritt Cole is consistently regarded as the best pitcher in the MLB, so it's no surprise to see him as the favorite for both categories.
The right hander also tops the most strikeouts list as well at +400, which is looking plausible. The Yankees will expect Cole to lead the rotation, and are reportedly planning on the right hander throwing 200 innings this season.
Corey Kluber is the only other Yankee listed in the top ten, who is set for the No. 2 spot in the deep rotation. Kluber had his 2020 season ended through injury, but is back healthy and has pitched throughout the Yankees’ Spring Training.
Signed by New York as a free agent in 2020, Kluber has won the AL Cy Young Award twice, in 2014 and 2017 with the Cleveland Indians.
- Gerrit Cole +350
- Corey Kluber +1800
- Jameson Taillon +4000
- Jordan Montgomery +7000
- Aroldis Chapman +8000
American League Rookie of the Year
Only the prospect pitcher Deivi Garcia made the list for Rookie of the Year favorites, but that is what happens when you play for one of the league’s most stacked teams. Garcia actually made his Yankees debut last year in 2020, finishing promisingly despite a 7.00 ERA in two games.
This came after multiple years as one of the team’s top prospects.
He was back with the Yankees for 2021 Spring Training, but was recently demoted to Triple-A Wilkes Barre, leaving his bid for Rookie of the Year in serious jeopardy.
In 14 innings pitched, Garcia gave up seven runs on 12 hits and four home runs. Despite the demotion, manager Boone insists that the young pitcher is continuing to develop in the right direction.
The right-handed Garcia throws a fastball that tops off at 96 mph, along with a curveball and a changeup. Though he is currently in Triple-A, it's hard to imagine that he does not find his way into the Yankees uniform at some point this season.
It could be from signs of improvement or more likely from injuries that hit the current pitching rotation.