The Cleveland Guardians went 80-82 last season and were literally your average baseball team. They went 40-41 at home and 40-41 on the road after trading away Francisco Lindor in the offseason, essentially throwing in the towel before the year even began.
Still, the Guardians found a way to be competitive in 2021, finishing in second place in a really bad AL Central, despite dealing with injuries to its pitching staff. But with so much more young talent joining this division in 2022, are they bound to struggle a little bit more?
Here are our best bets for the Cleveland Guardians in 2022.
Guardians Top Betting Odds 2022
Cleveland Guardians MLB betting odds are current as of March 29 at 4:30 p.m. ET at Caesars Sportsbook.
- World Series Winners: +7500
- Win American League pennant: +3500
- Win American League Central title: +1100
- 2022 Win Total Over/Under: 75.5 (-110)
Despite finishing in second place in their division last year, the Guardians are expected to finish fourth in the AL Central in 2022. That’s because the other three teams in the division all made moves to improve, while the Guardians stood pat.
Cleveland’s lineup is the same as last year except for top outfield prospect, Steven Kwan, who will likely get the chance to start in center field to begin the season
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Guardians Futures Bets 2022
Guardians To Miss 2022 MLB Playoffs (-450) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
Despite a healthy pitching rotation that will consist of Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, and Triston McKenzie, there just aren’t that many exciting futures bets with the Cleveland Guardians.
All of the pitchers listed above either struggled or were injured last year. That makes for a lot of “what ifs" with this group, and the team is just not worth risking a whole lot of money on.
Cleveland still has two big-time power bats in the middle of the lineup with Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes, but overall, the team’s power and ability to score runs will likely be lacking.
Bet on the Guardians to miss the 2022 postseason in today’s MLB bet of the day.
Guardians UNDER 75.5 Wins (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
The Guardians’ pitching staff is the wildcard here. The Guardians need Shane Bieber to pitch nearly 200 innings and keep an ERA of about 3.50 as the ace of the staff. Then, the Guardians will need their other starters to step up and become quality arms.
The only starter that can do that consistently is Triston McKenzie. He’s got strikeout stuff. The rest of the starting rotation doesn’t.
The Guardians’ offense also isn’t that exciting, and that’s why the pitching staff will really need to keep games close.
It’s just not going to be a great year for the Guardians.
Guardians Player Prop Bets 2022
Steven Kwan To Win AL Rookie of the Year (+7500) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
The Cleveland Guardians are not going to be an offensive powerhouse, but Steven Kwan is likely going to get the start in center field to begin the season. At Triple-A last season, Kwan just missed out on having a slash line of .300/.400/.500 as a 24-year-old.
Kwan is dominant in the outfield and can cover an insane amount of ground. He’s also known for hitting balls into gaps. With his speed, those hits into gaps could turn into triples, and batting behind Jose Ramirez could be a boon for Kwan’s run production.
At +7500 odds, Kwan is worth a shot.
Shane Bieber To Lead MLB in Strikeouts (+1200) at Caesars Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
Shane Bieber has averaged 11.33 strikeouts per nine innings throughout his young career. He had a 12.48 K/9 in 16 starts last season.
Bieber’s walks were a lot higher last year, but he had to deal with an injury in the middle of the season. In a healthy, COVID-shortened 2020, Bieber started 12 games and had a 14.2 K/9.
If Bieber can find his groove early and stay off the IL, the walks will trend downward and his strikeouts should increase.
There aren’t that many pitchers that have the strikeout ability that Bieber has. He’d be competing against guys like Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer along with Robbie Ray, Gerritt Cole, and Corbin Burnes.
Bieber is in that mix and could absolutely win this category in 2022.
