The Major Leagues take a break in the action early next week for the All Star week, but that doesn't mean that us baseball bettors are on hold as well. Here is a look at some of the early MLB odds and betting options for the Home Run Derby and the All Star Game.
It’s hard to imagine we have already reached the half way point in Major League
Baseball, but the All Star game is less than a week away, and a weekend of
baseball is upon us. In this piece, I’ll take a look at the All Star rosters
and some of the different things we might see in the game. I’ll also go into
some All Star prop betting options, including the game itself, and the home run
derby.
Home run derby odds
Below is
the list of odds for all the players competing in the home run derby.
Robinson
Cano +400
Jose
Bautista +400
Giancarlo
Stanton +400
Prince
Fielder +500
Mark
Trumbo +600
Matt
Kemp +700
Carlos
Gonzalez +800
Carlos
Beltran +800
I think
immediately you have to rule out the bottom three long shots for separate
reasons. Beltran is having a fantastic season, but he is injury prone, and I
think the Cards have instructed him to go half speed. Gonzalez isn’t as injury
prone as Beltran, but for almost the same reasons, he is too important to the
Rockies to risk messing up his swing in the derby. Of course, Kemp is actually
injured now.
The
other five are all right there. Trumbo is young and will want to make an
impression, Fielder and Cano are former champs, and Stanton and Bautista both
have incredible power. If I had to choose, my favorites are Fielder, Stanton or
Trumbo.
All Start Game prop bets
There
are countless prop options to choose from, but these are some of my favorites baseball betting choices for the week.
Starting
with the first pitch of the game, both the American and National League are
+200 to throw a ball as a first pitch. I feel like one of those is a
possibility, especially if RA Dickey gets the nod from Tony LaRussa as the
starter for the National League. That knuckleball is out of control, and the
37-year olds first All Star Game might make him throw that first knuckler out
of the strike zone.
The two
sides are almost dead even on the first to hit a home run. The American league
is -120 and the National is -110. With
the same MLB odds surrounding them, you can get this same juice for the first team
to commit an error in the game, which is pretty likely when they try to turn a
double play or do something fancy.
Another
one of my favorite bets is if there will be a ground rule double in the game. Kaufman
Stadium is a hitters’ park, and you can get +600 if you bet yes there will be a
ground rule double. With a lot of changing outfielders -- most of which have
probably had limited or no experience with Kaufman -- the chances of one
getting over head or a player misplaying a ball seems likely.
My final
three favorites aren’t going to make you rich, but they are very likely. Firstly, if
the first 3-2 pitch is fouled off, you can bet it will for +120. You can also
get +150 for yes there will be an intentional walk. With Tony LaRussa in the dugout,
I think that is a big possibility. Lastly, you can get -115 for both teams scoring in the
same inning. With all the talent in the game, that one looks to be a lock.