Atlanta Braves enter 2023 campaign as a National League favorite

Expectations are high for an Atlanta Braves ball club that is two years removed from winning a World Series. Look no further than the sportsbooks to get a sense of what kind of season it could be for the Braves.

After losing in the NLDS last year, Atlanta is priced at +400 to win the National League via the odds at Caesars Sportsbook. That puts the Braves in a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets for the best odds to win the NL Pennant. The San Diego Padres are +480, while the Philadelphia Phillies are +750 to return to the World Series.

Speaking of which, Atlanta is +850 to win it all ahead of Thursday’s Opening Day. That price puts the Braves as the fifth favorite, trailing last year’s champ in the Houston Astros at +400. The New York Yankees (+750), Mets (+800), and Dodgers (+800) all have better odds as well.

For context, Atlanta was listed at +1200 to win the World Series in early April last year, per the database at sportsoddshistory.com. The Braves had a value of around +900 following the All-Star Break in the World Series market. As for the NL race, Atlanta was +600 last April and +425 after the break last season.

The increased optimism around this year’s team is even more evident in other markets, however.

Atlanta is the favorite to win the NL East, as Caesars lists this team at +100 entering the season. The Mets come in at +170, while the Phillies are priced at +380. That is an implied probability of 50% for the Braves to win their sixth consecutive division crown.

The Braves enter the year with a win total of 95.5 at Caesars, with a -110 vig on both sides. They won 101 games last year and have cleared this mark twice in the last three full seasons. Atlanta is also -500 to make the playoffs and +400 to miss the postseason in Caesars’ initial two-way market.

In the player market, Ronald Acuna Jr. is third in NL MVP odds with an opening price of +900. The 25-year-old superstar is coming off a season where he hit .266 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs to earn a third All-Star selection in his fifth year. Acuna is also the favorite to lead the league in stolen bases with a +450 offering.

Austin Riley has the fifth-best odds to lead the league in RBIs, thanks to a +1100 value at Caesars. Riley recorded 93 RBI last year and delivered 107 during the 2021 campaign. Riley is also 20/1 to lead all of baseball in home runs, which is good for seventh on the current odds board.

Pitcher Spencer Strider, who is just 24 years old, has the fifth-best odds to claim the NL Cy Young award at +800. He is +900 to lead the league in strikeouts, trailing only Gerrit Cole (+550) and Corbin Burnes (+800) in that market. Strider went 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA while tossing 202 strikeouts last season.

In addition, Caesars is offering individual season-long player props for notable players ahead of the new season. Acuna has an over/under of 29 home runs, with the under-juiced to -120. Riley’s HR prop has been set at 32.5, but the over is priced at -120. 

You can also take advantage of some head-to-head props at Caesars, such as Riley finishing with more RBIs than Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox. Riley is listed as a -125 to defeat Devers in this market in 2023.

If betting on season-long props isn’t your sort of thing, then fear not, because the Braves will be in action this weekend. They are set to kick off the 2023 campaign with a three-game road series against the Washington Nationals, starting with Thursday’s opener.

At Caesars, Atlanta is a -250 favorite to win Opening Day against Washington. That is an implied probability of 71.4% for the Braves to be victorious. The run line isn’t much more enticing, with bettors having to lay -140 juice for Atlanta to win by two or more runs.

But might we interest you in the over, which is being offered at +100 with a total of eight runs? The Braves should be able to get things going offensively against Washington starter Patrick Corbin, who went 6-19 with a 6.31 ERA in 31 starts last year. He was 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in five Spring Training outings as well.

Atlanta should score early and often to start the new season off in style.