2023 Little League World Series Odds Preview

One of the summer’s best sporting events starts Wednesday as the 2023 Little League Baseball World Series begins in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The 20-team field — including 10 teams from across the United States and 10 teams from around the world — is officially set, with each club trying to capture the title that was won by Honolulu (HI) Little League in 2022 against returning team Pabao Little League from baseball hotbed Willemstad, Curacao.

The Little League World Series odds currently have the team from El Segundo, California, as the favorites to win the US portion of the bracket (+130), and the team from Curacao — looking to avenge its 2022 Finals loss — is the favorite on the international side of things (+175) but, as is usually the case for the LLWS, the field is wide open considering how much variability is involved throughout the tournament.

One dominant pitching performance here or there — remember Mo’ne Davis’ domination in 2014? — can completely change the tide of the entire bracket, and, in two weeks, there could be a new household name currently unknown to the world.

As you can imagine, predicting the Little League World Series scores is tough. Still, it’s usually a good idea to go with either a team from Curacao — which has made two of the last three LLWS Finals — or a team from Tokyo, Japan — which has won five championships since 2012.

This season, the team from Musashi Fuchu Little League in Tokyo is just +300 to win the International bracket, tied with the team from Kuei-Shan Little League in Chinese Taipei. Considering how fundamentally sound teams from Japan always are in the LLWS, +300 on Musashi Fuchu Little League seems like a great play. Also, Musashi Fuchu Little League is making its fourth LLWS appearance, two resulting in titles. This team has a serious pedigree.

As one of the more common finalist teams, Willemstad is always a reliable pick. It helps that they went 6-0 in the Caribbean region qualifying, crushing a team from the Dominican Republic in the decisive game. The Tokyo team survived a brutal qualifying gauntlet in the Japan region, showing more than enough ability to make a serious run in this year’s LLWS. Both teams are more than ready for the bright lights of the LLWS with the world watching.

Also, the Maracaibo, Venezuela team posted a perfect record in Latin America qualifying which isn’t easy. Surprisingly, they’re just +900 to make it to the finals. Chinese Taipei cruised through Asia Pacific qualifying, so it makes sense why they would be considered on the same level as the Tokyo team.

Hills Little League (from Sydney, Australia) is +500 and will make its third LLWS appearance since 2016. There’s a lot of depth in this international bracket.

When the Little League World Series schedule begins on Wednesday afternoon, though, more of the eyes — at least in the United States — will be on the American teams, collectively favored (-130) to win the LLWS crown at the end of this month.

The California team is a sizable favorite, but the teams from Nolensville, Tennessee (+225) and Henderson, Nevada (+550) are also in the mix. Nolensville went an impressive 5-1 in qualifying in the difficult Southeast region, while El Segundo swept the West region.

Nolensville’s team also has Stella Weaver, who will become the 22nd female player in LLWS history. That should add a lot of intrigue to the games played by the group from Tennessee. This is Nolensville’s third-straight year in the LLWS, so they are primed and ready to finally break through to the Finals.

But you can’t sleep on teams from less traditional baseball states in the Northeast and Midwest, considering how Maine-Endwell (New York) won it all in 2016 and how the 2021 championship was decided between Taylor, Michigan and Hamilton, Ohio — with the caveat that international teams weren’t able to compete that year due to COVID restrictions.

This year, teams from Fargo, North Dakota (+700), Media, Pennsylvania (+750), and even Gray, Maine (+1200) are pretty big underdogs. The Fargo team is North Dakota’s first-ever LLWS representative.

Regarding Little League World Series odds, it’s also worth considering taking a flier on the team from the Northeast Seattle Little League in Washington State, which is just +900 to win the US bracket.

Northeast Seattle destroyed the rest of the Northwest in regional qualifying, winning all three games by a combined 33-1 margin. The competition from Alaska, Idaho and Oregon may not be as challenging as the Southeast or Southwest, but it still says something.

Another sleeper team is Needville, Texas, which went a perfect 4-0 in qualifying to win the challenging Southwest region. At +800, Needville might be undervalued on the betting markets as a relatively small town. But, there’s a reason they play the games, and if Needville could make it through the seven-state Southwest field — including another team from baseball-crazed Texas — then maybe the Little League World Series odds made a mistake by doubting them.

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