Houston Astros baseball team

Kansas Citys online betting odds are better than they have been in a long time as they feature one of the leagues youngest teams, and there is plenty of talent to go through the lineup. But they still have a lot of questions on their pitching staff, from the starters to the bullpen, and that will keep them down for at least one more season.

Lineup

The Royals were fourth in the majors in batting average in 2011 and 10th in runs scored, but they sacrificed hitting for pitching when they traded outfielder Melky Cabrera to San Francisco for Jonathan Sanchez. Hell be replaced by Lorenzo Cain, who will bat second in the order and the Royals already think hell better defensively than his predecessor. Left-fielder Alex Gordon and first baseman Eric Hosmer are the leaders of the offense and will look to build on promising campaigns from last season, and there are some who feel Hosmer could be in line for an All-Star berth. Gordon received a big extension in the offseason, so hell have to deal with the pressure of living up to big expectations. Designated hitter Billy Butler can slot in at first if need be, and right-fielder Jeff Francoeur adds a veteran presence to the lineup.

However, the lineup goes south when you get to the bottom third, although the Royals will be able to alternate catchers between Humberto Quintero and Brayan Pena. Quintero is better defensively, so hell likely start the season as the Royals try to make their pitchers comfortable.

Pitching

Pitching is what is going to spark the Royals MLB betting odds this season, and the potential is there for the rotation, they just have to fulfill it. Bruce Chen gets the nod as the starter, but he doesnt inspire a whole lot of confidence among Kansas City fans. Sanchez is known for throwing a no-hitter with the Giants in 2009 and he gets a lot of strikeouts, but he also walks far too many batters and that is usually how he runs up high pitch counts, which keeps his innings down more than they should be. Luke Hochevar has to start living up to his potential sooner than later, although he did have a solid second half to the season. Danny Duffy and Luis Mendoza round out the rotation for now, but they can be replaced.

Right now, the major worry in Kansas City is the bullpen as closer Joakim Soria is out for the season due to Tommy John surgery, which leaves the job to Greg Holland, who doesnt have much experience, and Jonathan Broxton, who is coming off his own elbow surgery. Aaron Crow went to the All-Star game last year, but the Royals need him to get stronger as he faded later in the season. The rest of the bullpen is average at best, and even though the concern coming into the season was the starting pitching, it is the bullpen that may decide Kansas Citys fate.

Intangibles

Manager Ned Yost has been with the Royals since 2010 and will be here through 2013, says his contract, although we all know that can be axed in a hurry. Yost is a defensive-minded manager who is tasked with the progress of the one of the youngest teams in the league, and one that showed a lot of promise in 2011, but now it is a matter of living up to it. Yost has come under fire at times with some of his management strategies in regards to pitching, and that is going to be under the microscope in 2012 as the Royals hurlers could damage their MLB betting chances.

Kansas City is tied with Houston with an average age of 26.8, which is the youngest in the major leagues, so there are going to be some growing pains that their fans are used to. The older players, such as Francoeur and Gordon will have to steer the team in the right direction if they want to improve, and the fans will want to see some sort of improvement soon.

How It Will Play Out

The Royals are playing with MLB betting house money as theyre rated at +8000 to win the World Series, and +3300 to take the American League pennant, but they are listed at +900 in the Central, which puts them behind only the favorites from Detroit. They were brutal on the road last season at 31-50, and if they can improve on that by even a few games, thatll make a huge difference in the standings.

However, the Royals need to sort out their pitching and hope that the bullpen holds up for a year because they wont be able to get by with just their hitting. The future is bright in Kansas City, but theyre probably one more season away from being a legitimate sports betting contender.

When the Detroit Tigers first lost designated hitter Victor Martinez to a season-ending injury this past offseason, it seemed very unlikely that their MLB betting odds as World Series contenders would actually improve by the time that Opening Day 2012 arrived. However, after shocking the baseball world with the free agent signing of Michigan-native Prince Fielder the Tigers shot up the list of American League contenders, and are now listed at 15/2 odds. Whether or not Detroit will live up to those heavy expectations is another story altogether, but from what we know so far, there is every reason to think that the Tigers will have an excellent chance at representing the AL in this years World Series.

While the addition of Fielder to many of the teams that were supposedly interested in his services wouldnt have automatically elevated them to the best sportsbook list of World Series contenders, the circumstances under which Detroit added Fielder are unique in that they already had many of the pieces required to make a run, something that ownership undoubtedly considered before landing him. The Tigers already have enough offensive talent aside from Martinez in Miguel Cabrera, Delmon Young, and Alex Avila, and with Fielder slotted right in to Martinezs No. 4 spot in the lineup, the team wont miss a beat.

The question for Detroit at this point is whether or not they have the arms to beat out the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, and potentially the Boston Red Sox in the AL. Tigers ace Justin Verlander became the first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 to win an AL MVP last year, by capturing the pitching Triple Crown with 24 wins, a 2.40 ERA, and 250 strikeouts. The fact that the 28-year old was able to lead the majors in all three of those categories made him a unanimous Cy Young award winner, and in the prime of his career he will once again anchor the clubs rotation this season. The Tigers added Otavio Dotel to shore up its bullpen, but there are question marks about the overall strength of the clubs rotation beyond Verlander. The club still has high hopes for both Doug Fister and Max Scherzer, but with Rick Porcello and Andrew Oliver slotted in to round out the top-five, they could run in to trouble if they arent able to pick up at least one more arm.

Based on the numbers, Detroit should be able to win around 95 games in an AL Central division that is lacking talent, but how well they fare beyond that only time will tell. The Tigers have one of the top hitting tandems in the majors with Cabrera and Fielder, and arguably the most talented pitcher in the game in Verlander, but they still have enough holes in the rest of the rotation and the bullpen to run in to trouble against best best sportsbook contenders like the Yankees and Angels once the postseason begins, unless they are able to address those issues during the regular season.

AL East:
Boston Red Sox – 97-65
New York Yankees – 94-68
Tampa Bay Rays – 91-71
Toronto Blue Jays – 85-77
Baltimore Orioles – 65-97

AL Central:
Detroit Tigers – 96-66
Chicago White Sox – 89-73
Cleveland Indians – 82-80
Kansas City Royals – 74-88
Minnesota Twins – 69-93

AL West:
Texas Rangers – 98-64
LA Angels – 94-68
Oakland A’s – 79-83
Seattle Mariners – 71-91

NL East:
Philadelphia Phillies – 98-64
Washington Nats – 90-72
Atlanta Braves – 86-76
Florida Marlins – 85-77
New York Mets – 60-102

NL Central:
Milwaukee Brewers – 96-66
Cincinnati Reds – 92-70
St Louis Cardinals – 86-76
Chicago Cubs – 74-88
Pittsburgh Pirates – 72-90
Houston Astros – 55-107

NL West:
Arizona D-Backs – 96-66
San Fran Giants – 86-76
Colorado Rockies – 86-76
Los Angeles Dodgers – 81-81
San Diego Padres – 79-83

AL Wildcard 1 – Yankees
AL Wildcard 2 – Angels

NL Wildcard 1 – Reds
NL Wildcard 2 – Nats

Your point?

Kid were u high while doing this cause the Angles just signed Albert and CJ Wilson and u places them 2nd in the al west. And the Dodgers will be in 3rd in the NL west Also the bluejays will be in 3rd in the Al east. GO RED SOX

Honestly, in my opinion, I think this is going to be the year for the Blue Jays. They already stand in 1st place over the rest of the league in just Spring Training. If they bring that hard work to the regular season, I think they at least have a chance at making the Wild Card.

Also, I think the Astros have improved too. I think their record will be much better than what you put.

Also, it’s now Miami Marlins. They don’t go by Florida anymore. Not sure if you accidentally put Florida and meant Miami, but that’s their name from now on.

My Predictions:

AL East:
BOS
TOR
NYY
TB
BAL

AL Central:
DET
MIN
KC
CLE
CWS

AL West:
LAA
TEX
SEA
OAK

NL East:
PHI
MIA
WAS
ATL
NYM

NL Central:
CIN
STL
MIL
CUB
PIT
HOU

NL West:
ARI
SF
LAD
COL
SD

AL Wild Card:
4.Texas
5.Toronto

NL Wild Card:
4.San Francisio
5.Miami

this is also your rant. what is your question? or are you answering someone else’s?
Regards, Dirty Harry

To me it doesn’t look like you have enough teams with losing records. I’m saying that everyone should start at 81-81, and if you give a team 10 wins, you have to take 10 away from another… I also did predictions for this season for my blog at http://bikinihill.blogspot.com/ if you’re interested in checking them out… Enjoy the season!

Too many wins for the White Sox, A’s, Rockies, and Padres. The Mets will be far better then 60-102. And I think, that the Yankees will win the East now that they have a very good pitching staff. Other than that, not too bad.

Copied Baseball Prospectus much?

I don’t think Boston will take the East and I disagree that the D-bags will edge SF

Either you copy and pasted this or spent too much time out of the kitchen.

The Royals finally win, and either get a Wild Card or narrowly miss. Next year they win the Central.

Yankees and SF are too low.

In my opinion:
Rays should make playoffs over Red Sox; it happened last year, and Boston has only gotten worse from last year

White Sox winning way too many games; they have absolutely no good starters

Padres winning too many games; they have absolutely no good hitters

Nationals winning too many games; probably miss playoff with lack of hitters and playing in NL East

Phillies will win it all

3 teams win the division at 96-66?
2 teams win the division at 98-64?
I don’t see that much consistency. 3 teams with identical records that all win the division? Can’t see that happening.

Let’s do some math here, too. There is 2,430 games total in the season. I added up all the wins from each team and it totals 2506… That’s 76 extra games. I know it’s just a projection, but you should take more care when totaling up the records by team. 76 extra games is a lot.

Also, this isn’t a question.

You do not have any knowledge of MLB baseball.

The Cleveland Indians ran out of steam last season, losing the American League Central Division to the Detroit Tigers. What does the new season have in store for the Tribe? Well find out soon enough.

If you are interested in betting on baseball this season, you should bet on the Cleveland Indians to finish closer to the middle of the American League Central Division than the top. The Minnesota Twins suffered through a very difficult and injury-plagued 2012 campaign, meaning that they should be better this year. The Chicago White Sox remain an enigmatic and inconsistent club, having failed to sustain much of any momentum after the 2005 World Series championship. The heavy favorite in the A.L. Central is the Detroit Tigers, the team that has to stand out as a very attractive choice for legions of MLB betting experts. Detroit has made some high-profile acquisitions, particularly first baseman Prince Fielder, that will make it very hard for Cleveland to overthrow the Tigers over the course of the next six months.

The big reason why Cleveland is not likely to finish particularly close to the very top of its division is that it cant hit with power in the American League. The National League will enable a light-hitting team to play deep into October, but the A.L. simply demands a copious supply of big bats, and the Indians just dont have them. The only three players who have hit with any appreciable degree of consistency this past spring are Chin-Soo Choo, Travis Hafner, and Shelley Duncan. Everyone else in the lineup has performed rather poorly. Yes, Spring Training does not count toward regular season standings, but Clevelands performance at the plate has been so markedly dreary that its hard to find enough reasons to trust this team over a 162-game schedule.

Its true that the new 2012 playoff format will encompass 10 teams, five in each league, meaning that a second wild-card team will now be part of the postseason. This will give Cleveland and other not-quite-annual playoff teams the chance to sneak into October with 85 or 87 wins. If the non-division winners in the American League do not produce excellent seasons, its very possible for a team to win fewer than 90 games and still crash the postseason party. This will have to be Clevelands path to the playoffs, because the Tribe do not have dynamic hitters, particularly on their infield. Only Asdrubal Cabrera at second base is a bat that conveys a certain degree of fear to opposing pitchers.

Speaking of pitchers, when you do your homework and assess your best best sportsbook on this team, youll find that Derek Lowe is the most high-profile acquisition this team made in the offseason. Thats not particularly impressive, given that Lowe is a solid No. 4 starter, maybe a third starter at best. Ubaldo Jimenez, acquired from the Colorado Rockies last season, has a weaker arm and is nothing close to the pitcher he was in Colorado. An 85-win season would seem to be a good accomplishment for this team. Something close to a .500 finish and a third-place showing in the A.L. Central seems likely for this ballclub.

Bleachreport.com released their preseason power rankings for the MLB season. The list goes as follows:

1) Detroit Tigers
2) New York Yankees
3) Texas Rangers
4) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
5) Tampa Bay Rays
6) Philadelphia Phillies
7) San Francisco Giants Washington Nationals
9) Milwaukee Brewers
10) Boston Red Sox
11) Miami Marlins
12) St. Louis Cardinals
13) Arizona Diamondbacks
14) Atlanta Braves
15) Cincinnati Reds
16) Toronto Blue Jays
17) Los Angeles Dodgers
18) Kansas City Royals
19) Cleveland Indians
20) Chicago White Sox
21) San Diego Padres
22) Colorado Rockies
23) Pittsburgh Pirates
24) Seattle Mariners
25) New York Mets
26) Chicago Cubs
27) Minnesota Twins
28) Oakland Athletics
29) Baltimore Orioles
30) Houston Astros

Do you agree with these rankings? What are your rankings?

BQ: Which teams of this list will make the postseason?

• that sounds right but the Houston Astros already beat the yankees sadly in the first couple of preseason games. and i think the baltimore orioles deserve a better ranking then that they are better then the colorado rockies.
• Absolutely not, I don’t agree with these rankings.

  Justin Verlander’s peripheral stats remained the same from is 2009-2011 seasons, the only difference being his obscenely lucky BABIP last year. Anyone expecting a repeat is in for a sure disappointment, dont get me wrong, he is still very good, but his ERA and WHIP will regress mightily, back to the 3.30 1.17 range up from his lucky 2.40 ERA and 0.92 WHIP of last year.

  After that, taking away Victor Martinez and adding Prince Fielder is worth about 2 wins, take into the fact that Miguel Cabrera playing 3B will likely cost them ~1 win and they’re probably the same team they were last year, if not worse (factoring in Verlander’s expected regression, of course)

  Big name signing’s do not equal big time greatness, just ask the Red Sox last season, or the yankees from 2001-2008…

  That being said, they have by far the easiest hold on a division in baseball, but to call them the best team in baseball is completely ludacris, I would put them behind the Rangers, Angels, Yankees and Rays.

  I think the division winners will be the Angels, Tigers, Yankees, with the Rangers and Rays taking the wild cards in the AL.

  Phillies, Brewers, Diamondbacks in the NL, with the Braves/Nationals/Cards taking the 2 spots, no one is very good so its hard to pick one lol.

Heading in to the 2011 MLB regular season, the Chicago White Sox were expected to contend for a division title in the American League Central, make some noise in the postseason, and maybe even have a chance to represent the AL in the World Series. Fast-forward through a year that could basically be summarized by the absolutely pathetic display by free agent addition Adam Dunn and a handful of Ozzie Guillen sound bites, and suddenly the White Sox have transformed from contenders to rebuilding mode with no celebration in between. Chicago heads in to the 2012 regular season with a new manager in Robin Ventura, but not much in terms of upgrades to their actual roster after finishing last year below .500, which makes it hard to assess best sportsbook expectations heading in to a rebuild under general manager Kenny Williams.

In his entire tenure with the club, Williams not once mentioned the word rebuilding, but after more than a MLB betting decade he must have felt that now was the perfect time to make the necessary changes to recover from last years collapse. The starting rotation took a major hit with the loss of Mark Buehrle to the Miami Marlins in the offseason, and will now likely rely on John Danks at the top of the rotation. Danks had an ugly 4.33 ERA a year ago, but there isnt much there in terms of depth for Chicago, since Jake Peavy hasnt made more than 18 starts in a season since 2008, and Gavin Floyd pitched his highest ERA since 2007 a year ago with a 4.37 mark. Williams also traded a couple of quality relievers in Sergio Santos and Jason Frasor, the former in which was a total fleecing by the Toronto Blue Jays, which will now use him as their closer.

As far as the offense is concerned, it cant get much worse for Dunn, who batted just .159 with 11 home runs and 177 strikeouts in his first year in Chicago, among the many illustrations of just how bad things got for the White Sox. Paul Konerko continues to produce despite the fact that he is now 36-years old, but he isnt getting any younger, and there isnt much power behind him in the order. Alex Rios is another bust that is coming off the worst season of his career with a batting average of just .227, and its unlikely that a move to right field will be enough to resurrect his career.

The bottom line here is that for as bad as many White Sox players were last year, it would be difficult for them to be any worse, which leads to a small amount of optimism for players like Dunn and Rios and the possibility to be better. However, with the losses of Buehrle, Santos, and Frasor, Chicago lost a ton of pitching talent including their ace and closer, and did nothing to address that area in the offseason. Where that leaves a team that finished below .500 even with those players a year ago only time will tell, but in what Williams has openly called a rebuilding year, it doesnt seem to make much sense to put much in to the White Sox best best sportsbook stock for this coming season.

It should be no surprise to sports betting cappers that Philadelphia is one of the favorites to win it all this season, with their incredible pitching staff that doesnt seem to be regressing any time soon. However, the ability of their offense to stay healthy throughout the season is going to be the difference-maker.

Lineup

The Phillies lineup is in flux due to injuries to first baseman Ryan Howard (Achilles) and second baseman Chase Utley (knees); Howard will be out for the first month of the season and that may be optimistic, while there is no timetable for Utleys return. Veteran Ty Wigginton takes over at first, and 22-year-old Freddy Galvis will fill in for Utley, and this means the rest of the lineup has to pick up the slack. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, third baseman Placido Polanco, and outfielders Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence will have to carry the load with Howard and Utley out, and the Phillies also picked up Jim Thome during the offseason. The Phillies are hoping that he can get in and play some first base in Howards absence, while also adding power to the lineup.

The rest of the lineup isnt that strong, however, and the bench was hurt by the broken foot of Michael Martinez, who could fill in a number of roles for the Phillies and theyre going to miss him through the early part of the season.

Pitching

Pitching is obviously the strength of Philadelphias MLB betting chances this season, and in particular, the rotation. They have a pair of former Cy Young winners in Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, while Cole Hamels has some postseason hardware of his own and all three were in the running for last seasons Cy Young as well. Joe Blanton is coming off elbow surgery, but the Phillies may be able to plug in Kyle Kendrick if he needs more time to recover. The wild card is 24-year-old Vince Worley, who was brilliant in 2011, but now teams have had an offseason to look at tape and study his tendencies. Theyre going to adjust to him, and Worley will have to do the same on the other end.

The bullpen lost closer Ryan Madson, who signed a deal with Cincinnati and then promptly was lost for the season because of elbow problems. The Phillies signed former Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon, so they know they have a guy who has been through the battles and he is out to erase his role in Bostons collapse last season. Kendrick can handle some long relief, while Chad Qualls, Mike Stutes and Jose Contreras will be counted on for right-hand relief. Antonio Bastardo looks to be the lone southpaw in the bullpen, which is protected by one of the best rotations in all of baseball.

Intangibles

Manager Charlie Manuel has a firm grip on this team, which he has led to five straight National League East titles and of course, there was the World Series win in 2008. He is very even tempered and doesnt get flustered in the face of injuries, which the Phillies have had a lot of over the last couple years, especially to their lineup and his presence makes them the favorites to win the East once again.

This is a tough veteran team that knows how to win and even when Atlanta jumped out to their big lead last season, the Phillies never gave up and kept putting pressure on the Braves, who eventually fell and handed the title to Philadelphia. This is a team that could survive the brutal American League East.

How It Will Play Out

The Phillies are the MLB betting favorites to win the World Series at +475, and its difficult to bet on a team that has been as good as Philadelphia has been over the last five years with all their division title, two trips to the World Series which resulted in one win, and last seasons loss to eventual World Series champion St. Louis was their first NLDS loss since 2007.

Are the Phillies going to win the World Series? They have as good a chance as any team as pitching has taken over in the post-steroid era and they have arguably the top rotation trio in all of baseball. But its all about their ability to drive in runs and stay healthy throughout the lineup, and that will be the key to the Phillies online betting chances in 2012.

One of the most intriguing MLB betting options for this years World Series is Miami, formerly known as the Florida Marlins, and the Marlins made a series moves to show that they were going to be a player this season. However, it takes teams some time to gel and truly become a World Series contender and the Marlins may be overvalued this season.

Lineup

The Marlins flirted with Albert Pujols, but the future Hall of Fame slugger went to Los Angeles to join the Angels. Instead, they picked up a player that was familiar to them in the National League East as shortstop Jose Reyes (formerly of the New York Mets) signed with the new-look Marlins, and he gives them, when he is motivated and happy, the best leadoff player in the game. However, you have to keep Reyes motivated and that isnt always the easiest thing in the world. Also, Reyes has to stay healthy to be effective for a Marlins lineup that was 22nd in batting average and 23rd in runs scored.

Rightfielder Giancarlo Stanton just turned 22 in November, but he lit up the big leagues with 34 homers and 87 RBIs last year. Now the question is, can he do it when the rest of the league knows how powerful he is? Also, can he recover from a few spring-training injuries?

Another major question is Hanley Ramirez, who was switched from shortstop to third to accommodate Reyes, and right now it appears as though he is content with his new position. When he is ready to go, Ramirez is an All-Star and he was reportedly unhappy with the move to third, but has come around since. The Marlins will need him, along with outfielders Logan Morrison and Emilio Bonifacio.

Pitching

Pitching is where the Marlins are looking to significantly improve their MLB betting chances from the mound, signing free agents Mark Buerhle (who spent his entire career with Guillen and the White Sox), Carlos Zambrano (a former Cub) and Heath Bell (the ex-Padre). Buerhle adds a veteran lefty arm to a rotation that has a chance to be strong, but it can also implode. Josh Johnson is coming back from a shoulder injury which ended his 2011 campaign in May, you never know what kind of performance youre going to get from Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez was having problems with his shoulder in the spring, and Zambrano is a hothead (itll be interesting to see him in the a clubhouse with new manager Ozzie Guillen). Buerhle is coming from the American League, and he may be the steadiest option the Marlins have.

Bell gives the Marlins a legitimate 40-save closer, but there isnt a lot of consistency in front of him. Steve Cishek is the closer of the future, and he and Edward Mujica are the setup men for Bell, although theyre both right-handers. The Marlins do have a couple southpaw options in the bullpen, but Cishek and Mujica are, hands down, the best that Miami has.

Intangibles

Guillen brings a feisty energy to the Marlins after seven seasons and a World Series with the White Sox, but he was also a coach on the Florida Marlins team that won the World Series in 2003, so this isnt a new area to him. But there are high hopes in Miami with a new stadium, money to spend on free agents and a move to a new city, and Guillen has to be able to manage all that while staying competitive in the tough East.

Guillens biggest mission and the key to Miamis MLB betting odds will be keeping the clubhouse together. The Reyes/Ramirez issue seems to be solved, but you never know when its going to flare up. As for Zambrano, he could toss a no-hitter and then fight a reporter in the post-game conference. Guillen has to let these personalities express themselves, but rein them in when needed. The players are veterans themselves, but Guillen has to take control of the room early.

How It Will Play Out

Miami is rated at +1400 according to MLB betting odds to win the World Series, and a wild-card spot is well within their reach. But the Marlins have to battle with Philadelphia and Atlanta in the East, and even Washington is considered to be one of the up-and-coming teams.

Let the Marlins come together for a season before you bet on their World Series odds; its rare that a team goes through such a large transformation before they begin to win and the Marlins essentially changed their identity, from their city to uniforms to players to their manager. Theyre a definite threat to make it to the postseason via the wild card, but right now, we would stay away from Miamis World Series odds in your online betting book.

Career totals

Batting average.297
Home runs449
Runs batted in1,529

Career highlights and awards
4 All-Star (1994, 1996, 1997, 1999)
Gold Glove Award winner (1994)
3 Silver Slugger Award winner (1994, 1997, 1999)
1994 NL MVP
1991 NL Rookie of the Year
Houston Astros #5 retired

Only full-time first baseman to have multiple 30-30 seasons.

Only him and Barry Bonds had at least 40 homers and 30 steals in 2+ seasons

Houston Astros Career Leader in Home Runs (449), RBI (1,529), Walks (1,401), Runs Created (1,715), Sacrifice Flies (102) and Intentional Walks (155).

Holds Houston Astros single season records for Batting Average (.368 in 1994),
On-base percentage (.454 in 1999),
Slugging Percentage (.750 in 1994),
OPS (1.201 in 1994),
Runs (152 in 2000),
Total Bases (363 in 2000),
Home Runs (47 in 2000),
Walks (149 in 1999),
Times on Base (331 in 1999),
Intentional Walks (27 in 1997)
At Bats per Home Run (10.3 in 1994)

Bagwell’s best seasons took place in the pitcher-friendly Astrodome, and if it’s roof was not so low, he would have had close to if not more than 600 home runs.

He was a good ball player but you forgot to mention his known steroid use. So no!

in my opinion NO

No doubt. The only thing hurting him is that he comes from the steroid era. If he had done what he did before the ear, he’d be in with a bullet. He should still make it.

Hell yes he does. He’s one of the greatest hitters ever.

Absolutely. He was a quality defensive first basemen and could even steal a bag from time to time. Also their has been no proof of him taking steroids. To date he has not been mentioned in any report and anyone claiming he took steroids is simply their opinion and has no facts to back it up. The problem with Bagwell is he doesn’t have the “benchmark” numbers that voters idiotically seem to depend on. 500 hrs, 3000 hits, 300 average. I could go on all day but there are countless reports stating the same thing. This guy dominated the game during his period of time and made the Astros relevent, that enough should get him in lol.

MLB betting players should have a close eye on spring training to see how their favorite players are getting ready for the regular season, but the pool of teams that have a chance to win the World Series is quite small, although anything can happen.

It should be no surprise that the stalwarts from Philadelphia and New York are the World Series betting favorites in what should be an intense and entertaining Major League Baseball campaign.

The Favorites

The Los Angeles Angels (+600) threw their name into the MLB betting ring with their acquisitions of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, announcing themselves as the main threat to Texas (+850) in the American League West, as well as the league as a whole. For an offense that couldnt keep with the Rangers, adding Pujols to go with a healthy (they hope) Kendry Morales and that is a heavy lineup for anyone, not to mention their pitching led by Jared Weaver, Dan Haren and Wilson, the former Ranger. Texas replaced Wilson with Japanese superstar Yu Darvish, who is going to get a lot of attention this season, but he appears to be ready for the stage. But how much do the Rangers have left in the tank after two straight losses in the World Series? This season may be more mental than anything for the Rangers.

Of course, the road to the World Series could still go through Philadelphia (+400) or New York (+550), and the Yankees attempted to bolster their rotation by trading for Michael Pineda, who appears to be similar to Yankee ace C.C. Sabathia in stature and skill. The Yankees still have the requisite number of bats, but Alex Rodriguez has to stay healthy. The Phillies, until someone serves notice, still has the best trio in terms of starters with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, but Vince Worley has to step up and prove that last year was no fluke. Also, the bats need to stay healthy to get in a rhythm, although the Phillies arent off to a good start as Chase Utley starts the season on the disabled list because of his knees.

The Second Tier

Boston (+800) and Detroit (+800) lead the next level of MLB betting choices for the World Series, and the Red Sox have a new manager in Bobby Valentine after the Terry Francona era ended in a massive September collapse and rumors of a clubhouse run amok with chicken and beer. The Red Sox have the talent to make up for last year and they should have a chip on their shoulder. The Tigers picked up Prince Fielder to go alongside Miguel Cabrera, who moved to third base and was hit in the face with a ball. Getting Fielder became a necessity after the Tigers missed out on Pujols and Victor Martinez went down with a season-ending knee injury, but the question for Detroit is their other starters, because Justin Verlander cant carry the rotation again (although the Cy Young winner will try).

Cincinnati (+1200), Miami (+1400) and Tampa Bay (+1650) come up next, and the Reds have a chance to take advantage of a National League Central in disarray; St. Louis (+2000) is no longer led by the duo of Pujols and manager Tony LuRussa; Milwaukee (+2500) lost Fielder and has the Ryan Braun scandal hanging over their heads. Meanwhile, the Marlins moved to Miami and starting courting all the major free agents, coming away with Mark Buerhle, Heath Bell, Jose Reyes and new manager Ozzie Guillen. The Rays didnt do much, and that is why they are the best bet amongst this trio. The Marlins have a slew of new players that need to gel (not to mention the combustible Guillen), and the Reds, you have to wait in see. But Tampa Bay is as steady as they come and Joe Maddon may be the best manager in baseball.

The Sleepers

Atlanta (+1800) has to get past the Phillies and Marlins in the National League East, but they, like Boston, also have to erase a September collapse that cost them a playoff spot, but they have another year of experience under their belts. San Francisco (+1600) is always a team to watch thanks to their pitching, powered by the duo of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, but they lost Carlos Beltran. The Dodgers (+3000) are a mess financially, but managed to re-sign Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw is coming off a Cy Young year.

But the two most interesting options are Washington (+1800) and Toronto (+3500), who are in the National American League East divisions, respectively, so they obviously have some obstacles. If Stephen Strasburg cant stay healthy, then there goes the Nationals chances, but if he can, he galvanizes the team and they have a full training camp under Davey Johnson. The Blue Jays have to climb over the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays, but they have the bats in the lineup, led by slugger Jose Bautista and Brett Lawrie, who has fantasy players salivating at a full season. If they can get some consistent pitching and the bullpen can improve, Toronto could be an excellent online betting darkhorse.