MLB Power Rankings: The Opening Month of the 2023 Season

A key to sports betting is to understand the parity between teams. As each sport consists of professionals, any team is capable of winning or losing on any given day. Spoiler alert: the Oakland Athletics are last in our initial rankings. But even Oakland has won 3 games. And they will win more. You can't merely pick Tampa Bay to win every game and Oakland to lose every game. That wouldn't be getting the most bang for your buck. Rays money line bets will be expensive. Fading the A's will be expensive too.

The point of this series is to help you find value. I fell in love with betting baseball a few seasons back when I just blindly bet the Detroit Tigers. They covered games and won games outright they had no business winning LOL. Each Sunday, we'll be back with a new power ranking and some other trends and information to help you beat your sportsbook.

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If you’re gonna play ‘em, might as well win ‘em. pic.twitter.com/uAwn5ASozm

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 13, 2023

Glossary: SU - W/L wise | RD - run differential | Tiebreakers settled by team with more wins | Edge given only for top half of teams

1. Tampa Bay Rays (14-2 SU, 9-5-2 O/U, 72 RD)
   • Edge: Of TB's 14 wins only 2 have been by less than 3 runs.
2. Milwaukee Brewers (11-5 SU, 7-9 O/U, 28 RD)
   • Edge: Not only is this team 5 for 5 in Home Favorite games but 4 of 7 in Away Underdog games as well.
3. New York Yankees (10-6 SU, 6-10 O/U, 25 RD)
   • Edge: While Yankee Stadium is known for its short porch, this is a tried and true under team. 3-7 O/U as Home Favorites and 2-6 O/U in Day and Early Afternoon games.
4. Atlanta Braves (12-4 SU, 9-6-1 O/U, 24 RD)
   • Edge: Of their 9 overs, 7 have come during the PM slate. They are also 5-1 O/U when the total is set at 8 or 8.5.
5. Texas Rangers (9-6 SU, 10-5 O/U, 20 RD)
   • Edge: Home cooking is important to this team, winning 5 of 8 as Home Favorites. But they're no slouch as Away Dogs either winning half of those contests.
6. Minnesota Twins (10-6 SU, 4-10-2 O/U, 18 RD)
   • Edge: Vegas has a great pulse on this team. They are 8 of 9 as favorites but 2 of 7 as dogs.
7. Los Angeles Dodgers (8-8 SU, 8-7-1 O/U, 18 RD)
   • Edge: Like the Dodgers in a game they are favored in? Take the run line. Only 1 of their 8 wins was by a run.
8. Chicago Cubs (8-6 SU, 7-7 O/U, 16 RD)
   • Edge: The Cubs exemplify balance. Not only are they 7-7 O/U but have won 4 of 7 games as favorites and as underdogs.
9. New York Mets (10-6 SU, 7-9 O/U, 12 RD)
   • Edge: The Metropolitans are loyal to those unders. They are 2-7 O/U in PM games and 1-5 O/U in games where the total is anything other than 8 or 8.5.
10. Los Angeles Angels (7-8 SU, 6-7-2 O/U, 11 RD)
    • Edge: If you are looking to fade the Angels in a game, also look at the under as well. 6 of LA's 8 losses have gone under or pushed.
11. Seattle Mariners (8-8 SU, 8-6-2 O/U, 8 RD)
    • Edge: Lucky 8's. 8 wins. 8 losses. 8 overs. 8 run differential. And their best percentage of overs is when the total is 8 or 8.5. Maybe an homage to the 8 letters in Mariners.
12. Baltimore Orioles (9-7 SU, 11-4-1 O/U, 7 RD)
    • Edge: The O's are 7-1 O/U during Day and Early Afternoon games and 5-0-1 O/U when the total is 9 or higher.
13. Houston Astros (7-9 SU, 11-5 O/U, 7 RD)
    • Edge: Look for Home Favorite overs especially if the total is at 8 or 8.5. The Stros are 8-2 O/U as home favorites and 7-2 O/U in 8 and 8.5 total games.
14. Boston Red Sox (8-8 SU, 10-6 O/U, 3 RD)
    • Edge: Another team Vegas seems to know well. They are 6 of 10 games as favorites but 2 of 6 as underdogs.
15. Toronto Blue Jays (10-6 SU, 8-7-1 O/U, 0 RD)
    • Edge: Despite being Canada's team, the Jays specialty is bringing the show on the road. 6 of their 10 wins and 6 of their 8 overs have come in the USA.
16. Arizona Diamondbacks (9-7 SU, 7-8-1 O/U, -2 RD)
17. San Diego Padres (8-9 SU, 8-9 O/U, -2 RD)
18. Cleveland Guardians (9-7 SU, 8-6-1 O/U, -4 RD)
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (9-6 SU, 7-8-1 O/U, -5 RD)
20. Cincinnati Reds (6-9 SU, 10-5 O/U, -5 RD)
21. San Francisco Giants (5-9 SU, 9-5 O/U, -6 RD)
22. St. Louis Cardinals (6-9 SU, 5-9-2 O/U, -7 RD)
23. Philadelphia Phillies (6-10 SU, 9-7 O/U, -16 RD)
24. Washington Nationals (5-11 SU, 7-7-2 O/U, -20 RD)
25. Chicago White Sox (6-10 SU, 10-4-2 O/U, -23 RD)
26. Miami Marlins (8-8 SU, 6-9-1 O/U, -26 RD)
27. Colorado Rockies (5-11 SU, 8-6-2 O/U, -27 RD)
28. Kansas City Royals (4-12 SU, 9-6-1 O/U, -28 RD)
29. Detroit Tigers (5-9 SU, 9-5 O/U, -37 RD)
30. Oakland Athletics (3-13 SU, 10-5-1 O/U, -63 RD)