Baseball Handicapping Articles

Jose Bautista Odds to Win 2014 MLB Home Run Crown with Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/7/2014

Toronto Blue Jays’ slugger Jose Bautista has been one of Major League Baseball’s most powerful hitters since his breakout year in 2010. Over the course of the last four seasons Bautista managed to hit 152 home runs, which trails only Miguel Cabrera’s 156 home runs during that span, and he leads the next hitter on the list by 26 long balls.

Paul Goldschmidt Odds to Win 2014 MLB Home Run Crown with Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/7/2014

Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt may be one of the brightest young players in Major League Baseball. The third-year first baseman was not considered to be a top 100 prospect entering his rookie year, but he quietly increased his production for two straight seasons, before having a breakout year in 2013.

Giancarlo Stanton Odds to Win 2014 MLB Home Run Crown with Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/6/2014

Giancarlo Stanton is poised to inherit the title as Major League Baseball’s next great power hitter. The 24 year old will begin only his fifth year in the league when Miami opens up the season against Colorado on March 31, yet he has already displayed a power in his bat that few people can match. Stanton hit 117 home runs through the first four seasons of his career—the 10th most in MLB history for any player under the age of 24—and contract-wise he is a steal for the Marlins as he made $537,000 last season.

Arizona Diamondbacks Odds to Win 2014 World Series
by Alan Matthews - 3/6/2014

Perhaps this is setting up as the best sports season in Phoenix history. The Suns are one of the NBA's biggest surprises, although winning a playoff series would be a shocker. The NHL's Coyotes are on the fringes of the Western Conference playoff race, but at least the team's future is now solidified in the area. The Cardinals appear on the rise -- they were the only 10-win team to miss the playoffs in 2013 -- under new coach Bruce Arians, and it's not unthinkable that they could be the first team to play in a Super Bowl in their host stadium as XLIX will be held in Glendale next Feb. 1.

2014 Toronto Blue Jays Odds to Win the AL East with MLB Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 3/5/2014

Optimism ran high for the Toronto Blue Jays heading into the 2013 season, but they dug themselves into an early hole in the ultra-competitive American League East Division that they could never climb out of with an overall record of 74-88.

2014 Baltimore Orioles Odds to Win the AL East with MLB Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 3/5/2014

The Baltimore Orioles followed up a trip to the ALDS in 2012 with a solid first half of baseball last season that had them 10 games above .500 at midway point of the schedule. From that point on the wheels started to slowly come off until a late-season slump ended any shot at returning to the postseason. They finished with a record of 85-77 and six games out of the final wild card spot in the American League.

Chris Davis Odds to Win 2014 MLB Home Run Crown with Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/5/2014

Baltimore Orioles’ first baseman Chris Davis had a breakthrough last season and unleashed a bat filled with power and speed on the American League. The six-year veteran managed to outpace AL MVP Miguel Cabrera in both home runs and RBIs and stopped the Detroit Tigers’ superstar from winning a second straight Triple Crown title. Only 16 players in MLB history have hit more than 53 home runs—the mark Davis set in 2013—in a single season.

2014 World Series Contenders
by Trevor Whenham - 3/4/2014

Spring Training is underway, and that means that the long, glorious baseball regular season is just around the corner. That, in turn, means that it is a great time to take a first look at the 2014 World Series contenders to look for some attractive futures value (all odds to win it all are from Sportsbook.ag):

Los Angeles Dodgers Odds to Win 2014 World Series
by Alan Matthews - 3/4/2014

Did you ever have a Major League Baseball team that you rooted for growing up -- or still do -- as long as it didn't conflict with your overall favorite team? For me, that "other" team was the Los Angeles Dodgers (helps my favorite club was in the American League). L.A. had really cool uniforms, interesting players and the greatest play-by-play guy ever in Vin Scully. Now, however, I find myself rooting against the Dodgers like I do the Yankees, and it's really simple why: They simply outspend everyone else to achieve success. Evil Empire West.

Miguel Cabrera Odds to Win 2014 MLB Home Run Crown with Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/4/2014

Miguel Cabrera may be the most skilled hitter Major League Baseball has seen in the last decade. The Detroit Tigers’ first baseman nearly became the first player to win back-to-back Triple Crown titles in baseball history last year. He would have done it too if not for a late-season surge by eventual home run champion Chris Davis. Cabrera is again expected to have another stellar year for the Tigers, and he is one of the leading candidates to win 2014 MLB home run crown.

MLB Handicapping: Pitchers to Watch in Spring Training
by Trevor Whenham - 3/4/2014

Spring Training can be important for bettors in a lot of ways. One of the biggest is that it provides an opportunity to get a look at pitchers to see what they might be capable of when the regular season starts. It’s not perfect because the number of pitches is usually limited and the opposing batters aren’t usually as strong as they will be in the season. Still, keeping an eye on pitchers in the spring can provide valuable clues leading into the season.

MLB Handicapping For Teams Overrated in Futures Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 2/28/2014

This is an interesting time for baseball futures. Spring Training has barely started, so we really don’t know much about where teams are really at. That means that we are required to do a whole lot of guessing and assuming when it comes to evaluating teams. Enthusiastic baseball fans have been awoken from their winter slumber by the start of the Cactus League and Grapefruit League seasons, though, so attention being paid to futures odds, and betting volume as a result, is increasing significantly.

MLB Spring Training Betting Tips and Advice
by Trevor Whenham - 2/25/2014

Spring Training — the best of betting times, and the worst of betting times. Betting on Spring Training is certainly much different than the regular season, and the large majority of games are worthless from a betting perspective. However, with patience and focus you can find some very nice value. The key is to separate the treasures from the garbage. Here is my tips and advice for six factors to consider when looking for value in Spring Training betting:

MLB Handicapping: Teams Vulnerable to Slow Starts
by Trevor Whenham - 2/24/2014

Last year the Angels and the Blue Jays came into the season with massive expectations after very aggressive offseasons. Both teams were just terrible out of the gate, and they couldn’t recover. It was a pair of wasted seasons, and it cost bettors who had faith in those squads a fortune. They were extreme situations, but they weren’t particularly unique.

MLB Handicapping: Teams with Possible Betting Value
by Trevor Whenham - 2/21/2014

Part of what makes baseball such an intriguing sport is that you never know what you are going to see. Last year at this time everyone was jumping on bandwagons in Toronto, Washington or Anaheim. Meanwhile, many people — myself unfortunately included — were very skeptical about the Red Sox and didn’t view them as real contenders at all.

MLB Handicapping: Pitching Staffs to Watch in Spring Training
by Trevor Whenham - 2/19/2014

When it comes to records for teams or statistics for individual players, Spring Training really doesn’t mean much. It’s just a time to work out the kinks and get ready for when the season really matters. Where the spring can be very useful for bettors, though, is in evaluating starting rotations.

MLB Props Odds and Predictions: Derek Jeter's Final Season
by Alan Matthews - 2/13/2014

I used to be a MLB beat writer for a while. It sounds like a cool gig -- traveling all over the country and getting paid to watch baseball. Parts of it are very nice. One part I absolutely despised was the post-game interview. How would you feel if you just got out of the shower and you had a group of reporters waiting at your closet as you tried to get dressed?

MLB Special Prop Odds and Predictions: Masahiro Tanaka's 2014 Season
by Alan Matthews - 1/23/2014

Last week at this time, I wrote about a Bovada prop on where Japanese star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, considered the best player from that country to come to the USA since Texas ace Yu Darvish, would sign. It was taking this long because of the new posting system that basically had a handful of teams negotiating in total secret with Tanaka's agent, Casey Close. There were new rumors out every day on where Tanaka might sign, and it was frankly amazing how there were no leaks whatsoever out of the Tanaka camp.

Which Team Will Masahiro Tanaka Sign With Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/16/2014

As hard as it is to believe, Spring Training opens in Florida and Arizona in less than a month -- Feb. 13, to be exact. The Opening Series games, which do count, between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in Sydney, Australia, are slightly more than two months off.

Baseball Props and Picks: Prince Fielder & Ian Kinsler Projections
by Alan Matthews - 11/22/2013

Every Major League Baseball team is flush with cash this year thanks to the new national television contracts kicking in. I won't break down all the financials or fine print, but the gist is that each team has about $25 million more to play with just from that source than last year. In addition, some teams are overflowing with new money from local TV deals -- that's where the big bucks are, and it's why the big markets will always have an advantage.