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| | Author: MasterBets
| Baseball Futures Betting Preview
Which pitcher will have the most wins in 2005? Who will hit the most home runs? Bet on it now with our baseball futures betting preview. The Palms Casino in Las Vegas has posted odds on the player to hit the most home runs and the pitcher to have the most wins.
Pro baseball bettors, always looking for bargains, think they found several at the Palms. Randy Johnson, the New York Yankees? latest ace, opened as a 6/1 favorite to collect the most wins. However, that number soon dropped to 5/1. Johnson, who was responsible for 16 of Arizona's 51 wins last season, struck out 290 batters in 245 2/3 innings. Johnson is poor value to win this in our opinion, and should be left well alone. His durability is a huge concern.
Minnesota?s Johan Santana, last year's AL Cy Young Award winner, also earned early support. The Twins ace was 20-6 in 2004 and finished one win behind league-leader Curt Schilling. The Palms opened Santana at 7/1 before dropping the odds to 6/1. Both Santana and Schilling deserve consideration as early favorites.
Pedro Martinez (9/1), who will fight with Johnson for tabloid headlines in the Big Apple, and Schilling (9/1) are the only other pitchers offered at single-digit odds. Roy Oswalt, the lone 20-game winner in the National League last season, is next on the list at 10/1. Teammate Roger Clemens, the defending NL Cy Young winner, didn't get much respect from the bet bosses at the Palms. Clemens opened at 18/1 and was raised to 22/1 to attract attention.
Florida flamethrower Josh Beckett was only 9-9 in 2004 and spent several stretches on the disabled list. The 50/1 price on the former World Series MVP caught the eye of long shot bettors, dropping the odds to 30/1.
There are plenty of bargains still available. Mark Prior got a lot of support last season at the Palms to have the most wins. The Cubs ace let his fans down when he only pitched 118 innings and went 6-4. Prior is healthy and worth a look at 20/1.
Mark Mulder, now with the Cardinals, and Tim Hudson, now with the Braves, both warrant consideration, and Hudson especially is worth a punt. These two former A's are amongst the best in the league, neither has any health problems coming into this season, and with new teams they could make a big splash. Bet on Hudson to earn the most wins of any pitcher this season.
Adrian Beltre topped the majors in home runs last season as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Beltre's breakout season didn't earn him much love when this year's odds were posted. The newest Seattle Mariners third baseman is 12/1 to repeat as home run champ. His chances of repeating in that ballpark are nil. He can be ignored.
Philadelphia masher Jim Thome, last year's preseason favorite in the homer derby, leads the list once again at 8/1. He shares the top spots with Albert Pujols of St. Louis and Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.
Sammy Sosa, returning to the American League where he started his career, and Texas slugger Mark Texeira, were the only two sluggers to receive early play. Sosa, who hit 35 homers for the Cubs, opened at 14/1 and fell to 10/1. Texeira, fifth in the AL with 38 home runs, dropped from 20/1 to 15/1. Sosa can't win this award, in fact he probably can't beat Tejada in his own lineup.
Cleveland?s Travis Hafner hit 27 homers and drove in 109 runs in only 482 at bats last season. Cleveland?s DH, also part of the field, could post much bigger numbers in 2005 if he stays healthy. Hafner is our dark horse pick. Adam Dunn, playing in a hitter-friendly park could also have a huge year hitting bombs for the Reds.
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| Last Updated
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 | | |
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