MLB Betting: American League Reliever of the Year

The Orioles won a lot of hardware last season, including Reliever of the Year, thanks to Felix Bautista's breakout performance. He is hurt though so instead of back-to-back wins we will have a new winner this season, maybe.

I say maybe because the Guardians' Emmanuel Clase and Josh Hader, now with the Houston Astros, are past winners of the award. Hader is the favorite at +500 and has the advantage of playing for a quality team and a little less familiarity from switching leagues, which I like. 

American League Reliever of the Year Futures

Josh Hader, Houston Astros +500

This award was launched in 2014 and Hader is the only player to win it three times, all in the NL with Milwaukee. One of those was not last year, but he was just as dominant as ever with San Diego. That made him a hot commodity in free agency and Houston bit, they are paying him $19 million a season over the next five years. Look for him to be just as good if not better on a team that will give him a lot of chances to put up good numbers. 

Jhoan Duran, Minnesota Twins, +650

Durant went from a setup role to closing for Minnesota and showed no decline in his dominance. That is a good sign for the Twins and for this bet. The only red flag is that his innings dropped a little and that might be a sign that the Twins are being extra careful with him. Minnesota is a good team though so getting above that 30-save plateau seems very logical. Duran has a big body which should mean less injury risk.