The Royals have joined the conversation in the American League Central Division.
The Royals entered 2024 as an afterthought in the division, but their hot start has skyrocketed their chances of winning their first AL Central Division title since the 2015 season, when they won the World Series.
Kansas City defeated the Mets 11-7 on Saturday, moving to 10-5 on the season and drawing even more attention from oddsmakers in Las Vegas.
This is the seventh time in Royals franchise history that they have won 10 or more in their first 15 games, and the first time since 2016.
Kansas City currently falls to +390 (Caesars Sportsbook) to win the division, one of the most competitive divisions in baseball, despite the lack of a powerhouse team.
The Royals are still in fourth place on the odds board, but a strong early performance has significantly narrowed the gap between them and the favorites to win the AL Central Division title.
Before the season started, the Royals were ranked at least +950 to win the division at FanDuel Sportsbook, far behind the Twins (-130), Guardians (+320), and Tigers (+380).
As of Saturday night, the Twins have fallen to +185, while the Guardians (+230) and Tigers (+320) aren’t much better than the Royals.
The Royals started the season at +425 at DraftKings Sportsbook and made the playoffs with an over/under total of 74.5 wins.
There were some bright spots in Kansas City’s surprising start, but no player shined brighter than star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
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Witt hit .339/.397/.710 with four home runs and three stolen bases, losing out in the AL MVP race.
He’s tied for second-best AL MVP odds with Aaron Judge (+700, BetMGM Sportsbook), followed by Juan Soto (+333).
Royals ace Cole Lagance is also making headlines in the AL Cy Young Award race, with 21 strikeouts and a 2.60 ERA in three starts, and is on BetMGM’s odds board (+900). It is ranked 3rd in the
