Baseball Handicapping Articles

2011 Oakland A’s Predictions and MLB Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/24/2011

For over a decade the Oakland A’s have been a quintessential small ball team. They have utilized excellent pitching, solid defense and timely hitting to compete despite a slim payroll and the lack of any top-end hitting talent. And the results have been generally superb, as they have finished .500 or better in 10 of 13 seasons while averaging 87.2 wins a season.

MLB Season Win Total Odds - MLB Futures
by David Schwab - 3/9/2011

Right now anyone who wagers on sports undoubtedly has their mind filled with thoughts of No.1 seeds, bubble teams, bracket busters and all the other things that bring the madness to March for college basketball. However, it’s important to remember that all 30 Major League baseball teams are back to work in preparation of another 162-game season.

MLB Predictions: Pitching Rotations With Value
by T.O. Whenham - 3/9/2011

Every year in baseball there are a few pitching rotations that are surprisingly strong. For bettors those are the holy grail because pitching is so crucial to betting success, so an unexpectedly strong rotation can consistently deliver excellent value. Here are my MLB predictions for four rotations that have the potential to be surprisingly strong this year:

2011 Seattle Mariners MLB Predictions and Futures Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 3/5/2011

I refuse to get sucked in by the Mariners this year. Not again. Last year I was convinced that the Mariners were going to break through and make a lot of noise in the AL West. They really, really didn’t. In fact they were horrible. The year before I thought they would be really good and they were only okay. In 2008 I had reasonably high hopes. They won 61 games.

2011 Arizona Diamondbacks MLB Predictions and Futures Odds
by Darin Zank - 3/4/2011

Arizona thought it might get back into contention in the NL West last year with the return of Brandon Webb and the additions to the rotation of Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Most sportsbooks were lining the Diamondbacks at about 3/1 to win the NL West last year, with a season wins O/U of right around 83.

2011 Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Predictions and Futures Odds
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 3/3/2011

The Triple Crown is a rare feat in baseball. It has not been achieved by an individual in the National League since Joe “Ducky” Medwick did it in 1937. The kind of Triple Crown the Pittsburgh Pirates achieved last year is as rare as it is dubious. The Pirates, a team known for setting all the wrong kind of records, found a way to finish last in the NL in batting, pitching and defense.

MLB Spring Training Betting Tips and Advice
by T.O. Whenham - 3/2/2011

Spring training is a great thing. The preseason for every other major sport is a total and utter waste of time -- a painful month to be endured or ignored before games finally matter. Spring Training is different, though. The combination of the great weather, the beautiful little stadiums the teams play in, and the opportunity to see young talent play meaningful time is too much to resist.

2011 MLB Predictions: Special Futures Prop Betting
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 2/23/2011

With pitchers and catchers already having reported to spring training the countdown to Opening Day can begin in earnest. In terms of the MLB future props out there I would say there isn’t a shortage of MLB futures odds for baseball-starved gamblers to digest.

MLB Predictions: Improved Baseball Teams
by T.O. Whenham - 2/16/2011

The baseball season starts in just over six weeks. Between now and then all there is left to do is watch spring training and speculate about what is possible and what is likely. One of the obvious topics to speculate on is which teams are going to be significantly better than they were last year. Here are my MLB predictions for three teams that stand out as potentially being very improved this season:

MLB Handicapping: Teams That Need Strong Spring
by T.O. Whenham - 2/16/2011

A baseball team’s record in spring training usually doesn’t matter that much. After all, there is no trophy for winning the spring, and teams are more interested in getting prepared for the season then winning games -- or at least they should be. For some teams, though, how they perform in the spring is really important.

MLB Predictions: Home Run Leader Odds
by Alan Matthews - 2/15/2011

For those of us in cold weather states, it’s a saying that automatically helps on those wintry nights: pitchers and catchers report. And that’s exactly what has started happening around baseball, with pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona. The first exhibition game is less than two weeks away, coming on Feb. 25.

Baseball Betting Advice: Tips for Early Handicapping
by T.O. Whenham - 2/11/2011

If you decide to run in a marathon and you want to live through the experience you need two things -- you have to be prepared for the challenge, and you have to be mentally tough to get through it. Betting on baseball isn’t as physically taxing, but more than any other sport it requires bettors to be like a marathoner. The season is endless and relentless -- a full card of games every day. If you want to have a successful season you need to be able to stay mentally sharp from the first games in April to the last ones in October.

World Series Picks: Rangers vs. Giants MLB Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/27/2010

To the surprise and even disappointment of many, the World Series features two teams that are as unlikely participants in the Fall Classic as they are unfamiliar with the game’s biggest stage. San Francisco has not been to the World Series since 2002. That was the last time when two teams from West divisions reached the Fall Classic.

MLB Picks: Yankees vs. Rangers Game 6 Odds and Baseball Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/22/2010

What team in their right mind would actually want to run into ace Cliff Lee in the playoffs? The Yankees sure do, that would mean that they have extended this series to a Game 7 after trailing 3-1. To get to Lee and a Game 7 the Yankees will need to win at Texas Friday night at 8 p.m. EST.

MLB Picks: Yankees vs. Rangers and Giants vs. Phillies Series Odds
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/14/2010

There are four teams still playing baseball and there are very few surprises as the long MLB season moves onto the League Championship Series. The New York Yankees, the defending champions, the most expensive team in baseball history and the top offensive team in the league are still playing. The Texas Rangers had the highest team batting average, and they’re still playing. And in the National League the top pitching team in the majors (San Francisco) and the league’s best starting rotation (Philadelphia) are the last two teams standing.

MLB Picks: Rangers vs. Rays Game 5 Odds and Baseball Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/12/2010

The Texas Rangers went on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays, owners of the best regular-season record in the American League, and stunned the Rays by taking both games in convincing fashion, by a combined 11-1 score. They went back home to Texas needing to win only one game to advance to the ALCS. They held a 2-1 lead going into the eighth inning with one of the best bullpens in baseball.

MLB Predictions: Yankees vs. Twins Series Odds and Baseball Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/6/2010

The Yankees have dominated these Twins for the past decade. Since 2003 the Yankees have eliminated the Twins in three American League Divisional Series including a three-game sweep last October. This season the Yankees took four of six from the Twins and last season they were a perfect 10-0 against Minnesota.

MLB Predictions: Reds vs. Phillies Series Odds and Baseball Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/5/2010

It’s hard to say who is more eager for the clock to strike 5:07 p.m. ET on Wednesday when first pitch is schedule in Game 1, Halladay a 15-year veteran without a sniff of the playoffs, or the Cincinnati fan base, who have not seen playoff baseball since being swept by the Atlanta Braves in 1995 NLCS.

MLB Predictions and Picks: Cubs Vs. Padres Betting Odds
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/28/2010

If the major league season was a month shorter, somewhere around 140 games, these San Diego Padres would be a playoff team. But the season is 162 games and these Padres are in full out collapse mode. After leading the NL West for nearly the entire summer, the Padres watched the Giants overtake them for the division lead as autumn approached.

MLB Picks and Betting Advice and Tips for Season Stretch Run
by T.O. Whenham - 9/28/2010

We are in the last, dying days of the baseball season. For most teams that means just one thing - counting the days until the misery ends. It’s either that, trying to stay healthy until the playoffs start, or fighting for a spot in those playoffs. For most bettors it comes down to two things at this time - watching the pennant races, and thinking ahead to the playoffs. This last week of action can present a few interesting options, though - situations where bettors can pad their bankroll before the postseason rolls around. Here are six tips and betting advice for help on your MLB picks for the last week of the regular season: