Baseball Handicapping Articles

MLB Handicapping: Public Teams
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

Public teams involve a select group of squads, from the big market teams like the Yankees to the teams whose fans stretch across the country like the Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. Every sport has their public teams like the Cowboys and Steelers in the NFL and the Lakers and Celtics in the NBA, but in baseball it is easier for the books to take advantage of these team’s popularity. They can do that by tacking on a few cents on the money line of these public monsters.

MLB Handicapping: Betting on Bad Teams
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

While their managers certainly have a hard time managing their respective teams, bettors also sometimes find it tough trying to manage bad baseball teams. To constantly fade the dregs of Major League Baseball is flirting with disaster. One Washington Nationals winning streak and all of a sudden an entire summer’s worth of profit could be gone. To wait for the Kansas City Royals to start paying out 3-to-1 and then take them for a series at a time, well you may be better off taking two-team parlays in another sport.

MLB Handicapping: Minnesota’s Target Field Pitcher’s Nightmare
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/9/2010

Everyone in Minnesota seemed to want outdoor baseball. Someone should have asked the Minnesota pitching staff, however. This is a staff, and team for the most part, built around the Metrodome and its pitcher-friendly dimensions. There are no such dimensions or advantages for pitchers at Target Field. While this will affect both teams, obviously, these Twins are not built for this kind of stadium and probably will not be for some time.

MLB Handicapping: Young Pitchers to Avoid
by Robert Ferringo - 4/8/2010

Below is a list of young “up-and-coming” pitching that I’m not quite as high on as a lot of fans, scouts, bettors and oddsmakers. The names on this list are ones that some people might recognize and think, “Yeah, that kid is going to be good.” While others are names that only fantasy baseball players or diehard fans would be able to opine about. But in my opinion the list below is full of guys that I expect Reality to slam in the face with the force of an Albert Pujols 42-ounce Louisville Slugger.

Handicapping MLB Umpires: Strike Zones
by Aaron Smith - 4/8/2010

Baseball is here, and it’s time to start looking for an edge on the rest of the sports betting world. If you are serious about making cash by betting on baseball, then I strongly advise you to get to know your umpires. The fact of the matter is no single person has a larger effect on any sports game than the home plate umpire in the game of baseball. Think about how they control the strike zone, which shapes the way a pitcher has to pitch and the batter has to protect the plate.

MLB Handicapping: Big Unit Winners and Losers from 2009
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/7/2010

Unlike football and basketball, in baseball there are no against the spread records find out how a team stacks up in the terms of wagering. Baseball’s rebuttal to the ATS records is measuring units won or lost by a team over a season. These numbers can be greatly revealing after examining them and looking back on an entire 162-game season.

MLB Handicapping: Potential Breakout Pitchers
by Robert Ferringo - 4/7/2010

Last week I discussed some veteran arms that I think could pose some excellent MLB betting value if they can bounce back and achieve some of the success that they’ve experienced in the past. In this space I’m going to go the opposite direction and try to tab some young, up-and-coming arms that could be the next generation of aces, value arms, and piсata pitchers to fade away.

MLB Handicapping: Best Value Rotations
by T.O. Whenham - 4/7/2010

When I close my eyes as a baseball bettor and think about my dream rotation it would feature two attributes - a deep, reasonably talented collection of arms, and one that the general betting public hasn't really caught on to. That rules out teams that are loaded with all-stars - like the Phillies and the Yankees - and those that have serious pitching issues - the Dodgers and Blue Jays, for example. Here are five teams that could meet my criteria heading into the season:

MLB Handicapping: Ranking the Pitching Staffs
by Robert Ferringo - 4/6/2010

The Major League Baseball season is only two days in. but let’s get down to brass tax here. Pitching doesn’t win championships, it wins money. Lots and lots of money. And gamblers need to be able to take the long view with teams and staffs and be able to look at each starting rotation along the lines of how it relates to the others in the league.

2010 Baseball Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 4/6/2010

After a long offseason filled with far too much Yankee gloating, baseball is finally back. For almost seven months we can now count on having something to watch and bet on virtually every day. As we get ready for to make some profits this summer, here are seven 2010 baseball predictions that will guide my betting decisions:

MLB Handicapping: Veteran Pitchers Primed for Big Year
by Robert Ferringo - 4/2/2010

Baseball is a game of habit, routine, ritual and method. The most accomplished players are the ones that can repeat their motions, their approach, and their successes consistently, in spite of constant failures. Betting on Major League Baseball shouldn’t be any different.

2010 MLB Futures Betting - MLB Futures Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 4/1/2010

As hard as it is to believe, the baseball season starts this weekend. From now until October we'll have baseball to watch, and to bet on, virtually every day. Before the season even starts we can entertain ourselves, and get ready for the season in the process, by looking for good value in props and futures. Here are ten bets that look to have value in my eyes (all odds are from Bodog):

MLB Betting: A.L. MVP Odds and Predictions
by Matt Severance - 3/31/2010

If you read my NL MVP betting predictions article, you saw that only three teams – the Cardinals, Giants and Phillies – had claimed MVP winners in the past decade. That’s in large part due to the dominance of Barry Bonds and then Albert Pujols.

MLB Betting: NL MVP Odds and Predictions
by Matt Severance - 3/30/2010

Considering that Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent have long retired, I’m guessing a Giant won’t win another NL MVP this year – more on betting on pitchers at the bottom. But Pujols is so ridiculously good that he’s the 2/1 favorite on Bodog to win it for the third straight year and fourth in six. And I really can’t give one tangible reason why you shouldn’t bet on him, other than the lousy payoff (did you know Pujols actually led the Cards in steals last year too?).

MLB Home Run Leader Odds and Predictions
by Matt Severance - 3/23/2010

Chicks dig the long ball (OK, that’s probably out of style), and so do many prop bettors. Thus, it’s that time of year to take a look ahead to who might be the 2010 regular-season home run leader in baseball with some odds and predictions. BetUS has odds out on the top competitors, and here’s my advice on a few to take a shot on and a few to avoid.

MLB Betting: 2010 NL Central Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 3/12/2010

The last time that the Cardinals won more than 90 games (they actually won 100) they suffered a precipitous drop of 17 games the next year…but still won the division. Three crowns in five years and, as the overwhelming favorite in 2010, it looks like St. Louis has as tight of a stranglehold on their division as any team in baseball.

Baseball Handicapping: Spring Training Betting
by T.O. Whenham - 3/11/2010

It seems hard to believe if, like me, you live somewhere where there is still snow on the ground, but spring training is underway. For the next month teams will play every day to get ready for the season - so that they can play pretty much every day for almost six months. That relentless consistency is part of what makes betting on baseball so attractive. If you like betting on baseball then you'll want to get started as soon as you can, and that means betting on spring training.

MLB Handicapping: Spring Training as Season Prep
by T.O. Whenham - 3/11/2010

You can bet on spring training if you want to, but for the most part I'd rather keep my bankroll intact and ready for the regular season when games actually matter and value isn't as hard to find. That doesn't mean that spring training isn't important for bettors, though. Just like the players are using the spring to get into game shape and get ready for the season, you can use it to get into fighting form and get ready to make a healthy profit during the season. Here are seven ways you can use the spring to get ready to spot value during the season:

MLB Betting: What Does Nathan’s Injury Mean to Twins?
by Matt Severance - 3/10/2010

If you root for any small-market baseball team, you almost have to feel sorry for the Minnesota Twins already in 2010. The Twins are opening the new Target Field this season and were able to actually spend a few dollars this offseason (upping their payroll to $96 million) in acquiring J.J. Hardy from Milwaukee to play shortstop, signing free agent Orlando Cabrera to fill a hole at second base and Jim Thome to be a backup DH and power lefty hitter off the bench.

MLB Betting: 2010 NL East Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 3/8/2010

With the exception of the Philadelphia Phillies, the National League East may be the biggest “if” division in baseball: “If the Mets ever get their stars back and healthy they could have a great year.” “If the Braves can avoid the injury bug and keep their aging veterans on the field they could make a run at a Wild Card spot.”