2022 MLB Postseason Betting Preview: Teams, Seeding, Schedule, Format

The grind of the longest regular season in sports is over, as six teams in the American League (AL) and six in the National League (NL) have separated themselves from the pack over 162 games to make the MLB playoffs. The top two seeds in the AL and NL will have byes, but the remaining eight teams will begin the Wild Card round this week.

In baseball’s new playoff format, the Wild Card round is a best-of-three series. All four Game 1s will take place Friday, while all four Game 2s are scheduled for Saturday. Game 3s – if necessary – will be played Sunday.

In the AL, the Astros and Yankees have both secured byes into the Divisional Series. The Guardians will be the No. 3 seed as AL Central champions, giving them home-field advantage in the Wild Card round. The Blue Jays, Mariners and Rays have all punched their tickets to the postseason as wild cards, but they’re still jostling for seeding.

In the NL, the Dodgers have secured the No. 1 seed and the bye that comes with it. The Braves have the inside track on the No. 2 seed thanks to a two-game lead over the Mets in the NL East with three to play, while the loser of that NL East race will slot in as the top wild card and No. 4 seed behind the NL Central champion Cardinals. The road teams in the NL Wild Card round will be the Padres and either the Philadelphia Phillies or Brewers, with San Diego having already secured a playoff berth.

At leading American mobile sportsbooks such as Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook or DraftKings Sportsbook, you can bet on the World Series, American League or National League champion right now in the futures section. Once playoff seeding is determined, which will happen no later than Wednesday, you will be able to wager on the Wild Card round as well. Some, or all, of these aforementioned mobile sportsbooks will have promotions available for MLB postseason betting to help shift the odds in your favor. Bet types available for the AL and NL Wild Card rounds will include wagers on the winners of individual games or series, as well as run total over/unders, prop bets and Same Game Parlays that allow you to parlay multiple aspects of a single game into a multi-leg wager with a higher potential payout.