2011 World Series Favorites

Opening day for the 2011 Major League Baseball season will be on March 31st, a day which is coming up fast.  With the start of the new season, everyone has their idea about contenders for the 2011 World Series.  The way it is looking, the 2011 World Series may actually be a rematch of the 2009 World Series between the Yankees and the Phillies.  So, the top 5 World Series contenders are listed here:

Philadelphia Phillies—the Phillies are expected to rebound from the playoff defeat to the Giants.  And with Cliff Lee choosing to go to Philadelphia, this put more of the odds in their favor.  The starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels is sure to have also affected the odds of a Phillies World Series win as well.

New York Yankees—the Yankees have been an early favorite for the 2011 World Series.  Already the team features one of the best line-ups in baseball with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Alex Rodriguez.  While they haven’t started spending bug money yet to improve, they are still a stacked team.

Boston Red Sox—with a solid lineup and a great group of pitchers, the Boston Red Sox are definite contenders.  Though they struggled last year, they have taken this offseason to improve.  Signing Carl Crawford was a huge help, but Adrian Gonzalez is also a big impact on the team’s hopes to win it.

San Francisco Giants—with an offense that is patchy, it is quite rare for a team to win the World Series.  While many odds-makers consider the Giants’ 2010 World Series win as an accident, the pitching that won it last season is still there this year.  The young lineup with Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, and Bumgardner will keep the Giants competitive for a good while.

St. Louis Cardinals—the anchors of this team are what make them contenders consistently.  With Albert Pujols, Matt Holiday, and Lance Berkman in the offense, and Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter anchoring the pitching staff, it is almost impossible for the Cardinals not to contend.