Today is a very important day with a lot of MLB betting ramifications, as it is the final day for free agents to accept or decline arbitration offers from the clubs they played with last season. If a player accepts arbitration, they will remain with their current team. Yet as many baseball betting online handicappers are hoping, if players decline arbitration, they can become free agents.
In essence, the reason the 2010 MLB offseason has been so quiet since the World Series ended, is because players and teams have been waiting for today to arrive. With so many of today’s players feeling they are worth more on the open market then what their teams suggest via arbitration, it is more than likely that the free agent pool will heat up in the coming weeks.
Over the last decade, several marquee players have declined arbitration and signed with a new baseball team and helped their new team win the World Series. The best example of this was back in 2002, when a then fairly unknown designated hitter and occasional first baseman named David Ortiz, declined his arbitration offer from the Minnesota Twins. The result? Ortiz would sign with the Boston Red Sox, and become one of their most valuable players en route to two World Series titles.
This offseason, the biggest name to be tendered an arbitration offer but is likely to decline is Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks. The 2005 World Series winning closer had an off season last year with awful statistical numbers. Also with the emergence of several other bullpen arms in Chicago last year, who proved able to close out games, it appears Jenks days in Chicago are numbered. With the Toronto Blue Jays looking for a new closer and having a tendency to take a flyer on players, Jenks may be the perfect fit.
Now that the World Series is over, baseball betting fans are watching as all of the individual hardware is being given out. From CY Young awards to Rookie of the Year, fans sports betting on baseball are winning their wagers on which players should be honored this year.
The 2010 edition of the Rookie of the Year awards saw the MLB award two of perhaps the best new stars we have seen in the last decade. This got us thinking, about all of the other top rookies in the last decade to make an impact. Here are two that come to mind.
1. Dan Uggla, 2005 Florida Marlins – Entering the MLB knowing your job isn’t secured is no easy task let alone putting up big offensive numbers. However in 2005, Dan Uggla debuted with the Florida Marlins and since that time has continued to grow into one of the elite talents of the game.
How is this for an impact, by season’s end in 2005, Uggla had an average of 282, 27 home runs, and 90 runs batted in, in 154 games. Uggla was traded from the Marlins yesterday after contract extension talks fell through to rival Atlanta Braves. It is hard to believe that the Marlins couldn’t get any prospects back in the deal, as Uggla has continued to put up impressive numbers since his debut in 2005.
2. Ryan Zimmerman, 2006 Washington Nationals – The Washington Nationals will likely be an MLB powerhouse in the same fashion as the Tampa Bay Rays. One of the biggest reasons why is third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Debuting in 2006, Zimmerman burst onto the MLB scene as an offensive corner infielder, hitting .287 with 20 home runs, 110 runs batted in and an 822 on base percentage. Initially his defense lacked, but Zimmerman has since fixed his flaws while turning into one of the most complete baseball players in the league today.
Similar to MLB betting sites, as soon as Brian Wilson closed out game five of the World Series, the 29 other General Managers in the league were on the phones negotiating contracts with free agents for next season. All 30 MLB ball clubs have exactly a week to talk about extensions with their clubs free agents. Meaning to say,baseball betting fans hoping Cliff Lee moves to New York will have to wait until next Monday for him to do so. With that said, here are two free agent hitters who could switch teams this offseason.
- Lance Berkman 1B / DH -The long time Houston Astro first baseman was traded to the New York Yankees this past July in a move that was supposed to put the team over the top when defending its 2009 World Series. Instead, Berkman was a flop and at $15 million on a club option, the Yankees weren’t willing to give the big guy a second chance.
Now although the Yankees Berkman experiment can be considered a disaster, that isn’t to say that Berkman won’t have many suitors vying for his services. He would look great on a team such as the Tampa Bay Rays who could use an experienced designated hitter with some offensive flare.
- Carl Crawford OF -The long time Rays product is finally a free agent and will be looking for a serious long term contract. With the Rays depth at the outfield positions, both in the dugout and farm system, the writing is on the wall that Crawford won’t be back in Florida this season.
However, while he may not be back in Tampa Bay, that isn’t to say, he won’t be back in the American League East. With the Boston Red Sox looking to improve their outfield and the New York Yankees always looking for another outfielder, Crawford could find himself with a lot of money in a passionate baseball city.
While betting on NFL odds is hot right now, the MLB season is winding down and we’re on the cusp of World Series betting. Here’s a look at who we think have been the best teams in the majors in 2010.
strong>Texas
The Rangers were probably the most consistent team all season, battling injuries to wrest the American League from the Angels. They also made the move of the season, getting Cliff Lee from division rival Seattle, and it’s paid off handsomely: Lee was up and down in the regular season, but he’s 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA as the Rangers are on the brink of the World Series.
Philadelphia
The Phillies traded Lee to Seattle and promptly got Roy Halladay, who will probably win the Cy Young this year and has a no-hitter and perfect game under his belt. The Phillies’ lineup was decimated by injuries early on, but they never panicked and eventually overtook Atlanta in the National League East.
San Francisco
The Giants battled a lack of hitting to get to the playoffs, and while we all knew Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain could get it done, Jonathan Sanchez has emerged, and even Barry Zito was decent this year. As for the hitting, Aubrey Huff has been nothing short of spectacular, and the Giants seem to have a knack for getting the big hit when they need to. They don’t have to jack every ball out, as they know they have an excellent pitching staff, but if they get a big bat this winter, look for the Giants near the top of 2011′s betting lists.
With the MLB betting playoffs getting underway Wednesday night, featuring three of the four series’ overall, there appears to be a dramatic fall off between the teams projected as favorites, and the rest of the league. After consecutive years of making it to the World Series, and with one championship apiece, the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies are considered the obvious top dogs as the postseason begins. Meanwhile, with the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants coming out of seemingly nowhere to win their respective divisions, neither is expected to make much of a splash. However, there is one more team that should join the Yankees and Phillies as one of the top three teams in baseball this year, and unfortunately for the reigning World Series champions, that team is the Minnesota Twins.
The Twins and Yankees will battle in the first round of the playoffs, with Minnesota getting home-field advantage for the five-game series after New York failed to hold off the Tampa Bay Rays for top spot in the AL East. Despite 95 wins in the regular season, the Yankees will now have to travel in the opening round of the playoffs, which could prove to be a crucial factor given that the Twins have the best home record in baseball. The Phillies get the Reds in round one, which isn’t as difficult of a task, but it will be interesting to see nonetheless if Philadelphia and New York can three-peat, with the Twins rounding out that group as the three best betting teams in baseball.
The only team from the American League that has been able to give the New York Yankees a baseball betting challenge over the past couple of seasons is the Tampa Bay Rays, and once again in 2010-11, it’s the Rays that are challenging the Yankees for AL supremacy. The Minnesota Twins are right there with them for top spot in the AL, but the AL Central division is a lot less talented than the ultra-competitive AL East, with two of the five teams in the division, both with records 16 games below .500 or lower. The Yankees are built to succeed during the regular season, but after consecutive years of going all the way the pressure may be too much to repeat, and that could allow a team like the Rays to take advantage and steal their spot.
While the Rays are an excellent example of a sports betting team built for the postseason providing a legitimate threat to the favorite, the National League is a little more complicated, as the current division leaders in the Central and West divisions aren’t exactly built like playoff teams on paper. The Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres have had the benefit of excellent management, timely hitting, and some excellent pitching deep in their rotations over the course of the season, but when it comes to three-on-three playoff pitching, and clutch situations, there is no reason to think that either can challenge the Phillies. That is why although Philadelphia is destined to repeat, they will play the Yankees rather than the Rays in this year’s World Series.
If late season surges are any indicator, MLB betting fans would be making a ton of money on the play of the big three in the Philadelphia Phillies pitching rotation. Over the last three months, the Philadelphia Phillies had been trailing divisional rival the Atlanta Braves for the division lead. However, as many baseball betting fans found out last night, the Phillies are here to contend for third consecutive trip to the World Series.
At the July trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies dealt away star pitching prospect JA Happ to the Houston Astros for veteran flamethrower Roy Oswalt. With Oswalt’s early season struggles, fans and critics alike had many questions surrounding the Phillies decision to acquire the disgruntled ace of the Astros.
Two and a half months later, the move has paid dividends, as Oswalt has returned to flamethrower form. When he was with the Houston Astros as we noted above, Oswalt was abysmal at best. He posted a brutal record of six wins and 12 losses with an earned run average well over three while playing for Houston this year.
Nevertheless, since the trade, Oswalt has gone five and one and the Phillies are an astounding seven and one when he pitches. Meaning to say, Oswalt has allowed for the Phillies management to once again appear as geniuses when making a deadline day pitching acquisition.
If we had to predict who the best starting trio would be in the entire league come playoff time, it would be the Philadelphia Phillies, (and that is no betonline scam). Led by former Blue Jay staff ace Roy Halladay, the starting rotation has kept the Phillies alive, while the offense works out its kinks. The trio in Philly is rounded out by longtime Philly Cole Hamels. Hamels a former World Series MVP had struggled to begin the season, but has since rebounded to put together a strong campaign.
Never has there been a more hyped up prospect than Stephen Strasburg in the history of MLB betting. Since he went first overall in the 2009 entry level draft, seeing his MLB game previews Strasburg has been praised in a comparable way to that of other baseball betting pitchers that are now in the hall of fame. Debuting for the Washington Nationals on June eighth against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Strasburg has lived up to the hype during his rookie year. Here is a recap of the rookie season for one Stephen Strasburg.
Debuting on June eighth in a night game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Strasburg looked like a grizzled veteran rather than a man playing in his first major league game. Strasburg has been the most talked about pitching prospect in the game over the last decade. Not since former Chicago Cubs starter Mark Prior has this much pressure been placed on a top prospect. In his debut, Strasburg helped the Nationals make a lot of money, as his debut was watched in front of the largest crowd in the MLB’s history. The stadium was sold out and several million baseball fans watched a game that would have otherwise been ignored.
What’s more, during Strasburg’s debut game he went seven strong innings giving up two runs off of home runs and striking out a Washington Nationals record 14 batters. Strasburg became the first pitcher ever to strike out 11 batters in their debut without giving up a walk.
Since his debut, Strasburg has been placed on the disabled list twice with shoulder woes. The hard throwing righty may be the most hyped prospect but also may have the shortest career. In the starts following his debut, Strasburg has averaged at least eight strikeouts a game. However, with the majority of his pitches being clocked between 95 and 100 miles per hour, it is only a matter of time until he blows his arm out.
MLB betting for the Washington Nationals has never been greater as Monday and Tuesday night showed two dominant reasons for why fans should start betting on this team. On Monday night, with the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB entry draft the Nationals took 17 year old outfield phenom Bryce Harper. Then last night, the Nationals top pitching prospect and 2009 first overall pick Stephen Strasburg made his debut in the big leagues. Strasburg and Harper have both been hyped up by the baseball experts as having the biggest ceilings in professional sports. As a result, Nationals fans betting on the team to dominate the NL East for years to come have plenty to be optimistic about.
In his debut last night against basement dweller the Pittsburgh Pirates Strasburg picked up the win in a five to two victory, logging seven strong innings of four hit ball while striking out a career high 14 batters. Let me repeat, last night June 8th 2010 was Strasburg’s MLB debut and he struck out a career high 14 batters. There are pitchers pitching in the league for the last five years who have yet to fan 14 batters in a single game, and Strasburg did it in his debut. The way Strasburg pitched, one would not have known that he was making his debut as he appeared as confident as the league’s greatest pitchers, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee to name a few. If Strasburg can continue to be as dominant this season as he was in his debut, no one should be surprised, if he wins the 2010 CY Young.
Conversely, Bryce Harper, the Nationals 2010 pick, is the much needed outfield bat the club has not seen since its days in Montreal. Harper has been described by experts as the Lebron James of baseball, and while we have yet to see if Harper has James’s swagger, we do know that he has the talent to live up to the comparison. In an all star game home run derby last year, Harper hit a home run which was over 500 feet. Furthermore, Harper is only 17 and switched schools specifically to play with wooden bats instead of Metal so he would feel the same as a big league hitter.
If both Harper and Strasburg can reach their potentials and avoid injuries, the Nationals will have perhaps the brightest future of all the teams in Major League Baseball. The team has yet to win a World Series, but with Strasburg presently on the team and Harper waiting in the wings, a championship can be seen in the not so distant future.
MLB betting and fantasy players alike don’t know what to do with David Ortiz, the aging Boston slugger who is coming off one of his best months in recent memory. So when it comes to your fantasy team, do you hold onto “Big Papi”, or trade while the value is high?
In April, Ortiz had a .143 average with a single homer and four RBIs, and like last year, many were wondering if the big slugger was done. Ortiz exploded on the media, manager Terry Francona, and for all of May, he exploded on the opposition. Ortiz went deep 10 times with 27 RBIs in the month of May, and he also hit .363 at the plate. That has sparked a comeback by the Red Sox, who struggled through the first month of the season.
Over the last three years, Ortiz has been generally a slow starter, but he picks up the pace in June. This year, he started a month early and the Red Sox are hoping that he can continue to keep this trend up. From 2007 to 2009, Ortiz hit .264 with 39 homers and 142 RBIs in 796 games before the All-Star break. In 710 games after the All-Star break during those three years, Ortiz knocked out 47 homers with 163 RBIs and a .297 average.
We would hang onto Ortiz for at least another month to see if his upward ascent is for real, and we think it is. We think Ortiz has one more huge year left in him before he hangs them up, and that will be huge for Boston’s betting odds.
