Baseball Handicapping Articles

Daily Expert MLB Picks: Saturday, April 7, 2018, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 4/6/2018

I haven't seen a first manager to be fired prop yet, and it won't be first-year Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler, but one has to wonder if the team is having some remorse over giving Kapler the job over more qualified candidates. He has been front and center of some very unusual/embarrassing moments already - the worst of which when he summoned a reliever who hadn't even been notified to warm up yet. Kapler is almost too analytical as he has made some very crazy bullpen moves. He also believes in shifting more than any manager in baseball; the other day, he instituted an outfield shift that directly led to a two-run triple that cost the Phillies a game.

Daily Expert MLB Picks: Friday, April 6, 2018, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 4/5/2018

In the 2014 & '15 seasons, Cleveland's Michael Brantley was one of the best all-around outfielders in the American League. He hit for a high average, didn't strike out much, had a little pop and would steal some bases. Alas, injuries have hammered him since with Brantley limited to 11 games in 2016 and 90 last year. Good news for the Indians on Friday as Brantley is expected to be activated for the Tribe's home opener. He had major surgery last October to stabilize ligaments in his right ankle, and the team wanted to give him a bit more time to get ready. If Brantley can stay healthy, the Indians are that much more of a threat to end their long World Series drought.

Daily Expert MLB Picks: Thursday, April 5, 2018, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 4/4/2018

As expected, the Seattle Mariners have placed slugger and DH Nelson Cruz on the 10-day disabled list with an ankle injury, but the team avoided disaster when an MRI showed no ligament trouble. Cruz started the season with two homers in his first six at-bats - and has at least 39 bombs in each of the past four years -- but slipped on the dugout steps after a two-run homer in the sixth inning of Saturday's game against Cleveland. The move was retroactive to April 1. The M's will likely use Daniel Vogelbach at DH while Cruz is out. That should give you a bit more of a lean toward an under bet in Mariners games if all other things are equal.

Daily Expert MLB Picks: Tuesday, April 3, 2018, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 4/2/2018

If you are the type of baseball fan who celebrates historic milestones, you are likely to be left wanting this season as there aren't any many major numbers set to be reached. The big one would be 3,000 hits, which the Angels' Albert Pujols should land sometime in early May barring injury. Late in the season, also barring injury, he also should join the very exclusive 2,000-RBI club. Only Hank Aaron (2,297), Babe Ruth (2,214), Alex Rodriguez (2,086) and Cap Anson (2,075) are there. I was surprised Barry Bonds wasn't, but he came up four short - probably because he was walked so often. That's really about it. The Tribe's Terry Francona will reach 1,500 wins, which only 24th other managers have done, but meh.

Daily Expert MLB Picks: Saturday, March 31, 2018, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 3/30/2018

Look, I don't pretend to know all that goes into making the annual MLB schedule. Every team has requests, and you have certain times that stadiums might be booked for a concert or whatever. That said, why is MLB staging late-March game in cities like Cincinnati and Detroit? Already, one game has been postponed in each city. Yeah, I lived near both: It's crappy this time of year! Try to make the first week or so of games played in all warm-weather cities (every West Division club, Atlanta, Miami and Tampa Bay) or those with domes (Toronto and Milwaukee). I count exactly 15 that would meet the criteria, which is half the league. Just saying.

Free NBA Picks: Saturday, March 31, 2018, Opening Line Report and Handicapping
by Alan Matthews - 3/30/2018

If you are a Charlotte Hornets fan, it can get confusing as to franchise records. Of course, the Hornets joined the NBA as an expansion franchise for the 1988-89 season but moved to New Orleans following the 2001-02 campaign and took the nickname with them. However, the NBA recognized what a good basketball market Charlotte was (not sure I agree NBA-wise, but collegiately there are none better) and gave the city an expansion team for the 2004-05 season. That club was nicknamed the Bobcats after then-owner Robert Johnson.

Daily Expert MLB Picks: Friday, March 30, 2018, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 3/29/2018

I gave my division, pennant and World Series winner in my first Opening Line Report story for Thursday, and now my individual award winners for the season with odds from BetOnline: the Angels' Garrett Richards (+5000) as a longer-shot AL Cy Young winner; the Mets' Noah Syndergaard (+500) for the NL Cy Young; the Orioles' Manny Machado (+2000) as the AL MVP right before he hits free agency and as long as he's not traded during the year to an NL team; and the Nationals' Anthony Rendon (+2500) as the NL MVP.

2018 NL West Expert Predictions with Odds and MLB Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 3/28/2018

Sure, we may have a surprise winner in one of the Central divisions. And there are some teams in both the A.L. and N.L. Easts that can test the frontrunners. But the N.L. West is the lone division that seems prepared to give baseball fans a legitimate, 162-game dog fight for the title.

2018 NL East Expert Predictions with Odds and MLB Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 3/28/2018

While Washington is staring down its own demons - its continuous cycle of postseason train wrecks - the rest of this division may be starting to catch up to the Nats. The Mets, just three years removed from a World Series appearance, have top-line pitching. And the Phillies and Braves are ramping up their own expectations after several years of rebuilding their organizations.

Daily Expert MLB Picks: Thursday, March 29, 2018, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 3/28/2018

In my opinion, there will be only one decent division race in Major League Baseball this year. The Indians will run away with the AL East, the Astros will in the West, the Nationals in the NL East, the Cubs in the Central and the Dodgers in the West. That leaves only the AL East, where Boston and the Yankees will resume their battle for division supremacy. Whichever finishes second probably gets the top wild-card spot. My other wild-card team in the AL is the Angels, while in the NL it's St. Louis and the NY Mets.

2018 AL East Expert Predictions with Odds and MLB Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 3/26/2018

I know that if you don't live in the Northeast you probably don't give a damn about the Yankees and Red Sox and, by extension, the American League East. In fact, you're probably repulsed by the amount of attention that these two diva organizations swallow up from the national sports media.

2018 AL West Expert Predictions with Odds and MLB Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 3/26/2018

Last year the Houston Astros overcame hell and high water, along with two powerhouse teams from the largest markets in baseball, to win the franchise's first-ever world championship. Now the Astros enter the season as reigning champions and favorites to maintain their spot on the throne again this season.

2018 AL Central Expert Predictions with Odds and MLB Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 3/26/2018

Things are going to be ugly in the American League Central this year. Really, really ugly. Detroit and Chicago are barely going to be above Triple-A caliber as they both thrust their organizations into full-blown rebuilds. Kansas City isn't far behind. And its is entirely possible that the Central could end up with three teams losing 90 or more games this season.

MLB Home Run Totals Props Odds with Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/21/2018

We've already look at which players have the best shot at winning the home run title in both the American League and the National League and where the value lies in futures betting. Now it's time to take a look at the sluggers from a different angle. BetOnline has listed totals for home runs for many of the top deep ball artists in the league. Let's look through them and find the ones most worth a discussion, shall we?

MLB Betting Odds and Expert Predictions: Live Long Shots for Futures Wagering
by Trevor Whenham - 3/21/2018

When it comes to betting long shots in futures and full-season props, baseball is the most attractive sport out there. The reason is simple - crazy things happen in baseball. Just last year, Aaron Judge came from nowhere to win the American League home run title, and the Twins went from 59 wins to the playoffs. And the poster boy for bizarre turnarounds is R.A. Dickey, who was 8-13 the year before he increased his strikeout total by 96, won 20 games and took home a Cy Young. If Dickey can turn into a Cy Young winner in one year then there is hope for any guy on a major league roster to have a big year this year.

Betting Odds for Houston Astros to Repeat as World Series Champs with Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/21/2018

As is always the case, the Astros had barely even planned the World Series parade route yet before thoughts turned to whether they could do it again. Was this the beginning of a dynasty? Or were they going to crash back to earth as magnificently as they soared last year? Oddsmakers and bettors are reasonably optimistic but certainly aren't crowning them - at +550 they are narrowly the second choice behind the reloaded and wildly-public Yankees to win the World Series. So, the question is simple - can the Astros repeat as World Series champions? The answer, though, is less simple. Here are three good arguments on either side:

Expert MLB Betting Advice: World Series Matchup Props
by Trevor Whenham - 3/21/2018

The great thing about the Internet and sports betting is that you can bet on pretty much anything these days. From the logical and attractive, to the bizarre and insane. It's all out there for you. Within any given sport you can take pretty much whatever angle interests you and monetize it. For example, and we head into another baseball season we have spent the last few weeks looking at all sorts of different props and futures for teams and players and their potential performances, and there is still a lot left to look at before the season starts.

2018 MLB MVP Odds with Expert Betting Predictions for Most Valuable Player
by Trevor Whenham - 3/19/2018

We can't have two repeat MVP winners in baseball this year. Giancarlo Stanton has joined Jose Altuve in the American League, so unless there is a tie at least one can't win. And the odds would suggest that neither will repeat. In both leagues there are clear favorites, and neither should be a surprise to anyone who has paid any attention to baseball at all in recent years. Here's a look at how the two MVP races shape up heading into the season (MVP odds are from BetOnline):

Which Teams Will Make the MLB Playoffs: Yes or No Betting Props and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/15/2018

One of my favorite baseball season prop bets every year is the ability to bet on whether or not a given team is going to make the playoffs. Odds are listed for every squad, and it's a good exercise to really think about what you see the season turning out like. And every year there are some fat prices available that at least look good in hindsight - how much would you have loved to bet on the Twins last year, for example? Or even the Rockies. Here, presented in alphabetical order, are the seven most interesting prices BetOnline has offered this year:

MLB Wagering and Expert Baseball Handicapping: Rotations Bettors Can Trust
by Trevor Whenham - 3/7/2018

There are few things easier to trust in sports betting than a team with great pitching. Baseball is so driven by what a team gets on the mound, so when you can reliably and consistently expect a strong pitching outing you can focus on the deeper comparables between teams, and you can be a more effective handicapper as a result. And right now there is a lot of good pitching in the league. It's now balanced, of course - there are some truly awful rotations out there. But there are also a number of really great ones.