With MLB Spring Training kicking into full gear and no steroids visibly in sight, let’s keep the early season assessments and predictions going with a trip over to the NL West…or as many might see it, Manny Ramirez, Brandon Webb and then some other players, and I think a couple other teams, as well.
All joking aside, you have to lean toward the Dodgers here when thinking about your baseball betting plans. As unfortunate as it is to see them as the team to beat in this division before the season even starts, it’s the smart pick. Current MLB baseball odds put them fourth at 5/1 to win the National League pennant, behind the Cubs, Phillies and Mets. Those are fair odds, but given that the Cubs are the Cubs, the Phillies were a fluke (trust me) and the Mets always seem to be one bout of tendonitis away from not making the playoffs, I strongly recommend the Dodgers as a consideration when placing your bets. No doubt Manny will be Manny, but he never seems to be Manny during the playoffs, he always just seems to be a hitting machine…which is the good part of Manny.
The one area where I’ll concede bears close attention is starting pitching. With Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw, Randy Wolf and Jason Schmidt penciled in as the 1-5, my eyebrows are significantly raised, and for the Dodgers’ sake, I hope they consider adding at least one more name to the mix if they’re still fighting for positioning after the all-star break. In fact, I much prefer the D-Backs rotation, anchored by Webb, Haren and an always sporadic Jon Garland.
Speaking of the Diamondback, they aren’t far behind, with mlb baseball odds sitting at 13/2 to win the NL, only one spot lower on the chart than Los Angeles. I think in the end it’ll be a close race, could go either way and one of these teams could land the wild card spot. I think the Dodgers have the clutch play and veteran talent, while I prefer the Diamondbacks balance and starting pitching.
Of course, it’ll be nice when the World Baseball Classic is just over with already, so we can all get back to assessing the talent on these teams as a whole before the start of the season. The games might not count for the pro’s, but as far as our nascar betting bankrolls, we need to see these guys play. They’re trying out for us just as much as they’re trying out for shortstop.