Thirty need-to-know betting notes for 30 MLB teams
Mike Trout is great no doubt, but is he capable of carrying the Angels offense? We tell you that and 29 other need to know betting stats for the 2017 MLB season.
Anxious for the 2017 MLB regular season to finally arrive? So are we. As you shift your handicapping focus to the diamond, we provide 30 quick betting notes for each team in the big leagues.
American League East
Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore continues to play above average baseball despite having, what many say, is a below average pitching rotation on paper. That is why having a great manager is essential. Buck Showalter pushes the right buttons and certainly having one of the best bullpens in the game does not hurt either. Offensively, the team is stacked again as last season, the Orioles led the majors with 253 homers in 2016 and were third with a .443 slugging percentage.
Boston Red Sox
David Price's elbow issue is a concern. It is unknown if surgery will be required on his elbow, but this could be a lingering issue going forward. This has to be a concern although leaning on Chris Sale is a huge asset to have. The loss of David Ortiz cannot be overstated - his numbers were once again outstanding but his presence in the clubhouse will be equally missed. The weak spot of the team is in the bullpen despite having a big name in Craig Kimbrel as the closer.
New York Yankees
Matt Holliday is on the decline so he may not be the answer to fully fix the offense that is going to rely on a lot of youngsters - Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury are coming off very poor seasons. If the offense does not show much improvement, it could be a very long season based on a very average starting rotation. Masahiro Tanaka is a stud at the top but C.C. Sabathia, Michael Pineda and Luis Severino are tough to depend on after that.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays won just 68 games last season, their fewest since 2007 when they won 66. They made no big improvements so it is hard to envision any sort of major move to try and contend in the division. While they were near the top in home runs, they were near the bottom in runs scored while finished No. 27 in strikeouts. While the bullpen is getting the benefit of the doubt, the Rays ERA of 4.09 from the relievers was fifth worst in the American League.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto has made the playoffs each of the last two seasons, after an over two-decade drought, and should contend in the American League East once again. The offense remains potent with Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Bautista leading the charge and the defense is pretty solid as well. The starting rotation is young and talented and the departure of R.A. Dickey is a big positive as his four years in Toronto were a major bust.
National League East
Atlanta Braves
The Braves will have one of the best prospects in Dansby Swanson for 162 games. Bartolo Colon, Jaime Garcia and R.A. Dickey come over to make this rotation tougher especially if Julio Teheran takes the next step. Freddie Freeman hit over .300 last season and has decent protection in Matt Kemp and Brandon Phillips who came over from Cincinnati.
Miami Marlins
Who is the Marlins ace? They have a bunch of 2's and 3's in Wei-Yin Chen, Edinson Volquez, Adam Conley and Jeff Locke. The unfortunate passing of Jose Fernandez means this rotation just doesn't have a lockdown starter. Giancarlo Stanton missed a chunk of the season last year so his lack of durability comes into play again.
New York Mets
Matt Harvey regressed last season and posted a weak 4.86 ERA. Injuries can also derail this rotation with several starters missing time last season. David Wright is already banged up, while Jay Bruce and Michael Conforto aren't exactly entering 2017 with a ton of momentum after struggling in 2016.
Philadelphia Phillies
The additions are not enough to fix an offense that scored only 610 runs last year which was by far the fewest in the entire league. They hit .230 at home which was the worst in the team's history. Vincent Velasquez is coming off an injury and new addition Clay Buchholz had a 4.78 ERA for Boston in 21 starts last season. This team may sell a few more veterans around the trading deadline if they aren't contending.
Washington Nationals
You know you have an extremely deep starting rotation when, the very talented Gio Gonzalez is your fourth starter. Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg went 35-11 in 2016 and Joe Ross was a very pleasant surprise. The lineup scored almost 800 runs last year and may get close to that again in 2017 with Adam Eaton setting the table for the likes of Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy and Anthony Rendon.
American League Central
Chicago White Sox
Chicago looks to be in full rebuilding mode as it traded Chris Sale as well as Adam Eaton for prospects. The future looks bright with some of the young stars it gained but that could be a couple years off. Even if the starting rotation is doing well, the bullpen will not be much of a help as shipping some of those veteran started by the deadline is likely no matter how good or bad it is looking.
Cleveland Indians
The meltdown in the Fall Classic was tough to see and the Indians hope there is no lingering effects from that. As a whole, the league is better but the division is weaker so they are a big favorite to win and their numbers are overinflated because of it. Cleveland got some key acquisitions but it also lost some important role players and right now the rotation is not close to 100 percent.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers made a recovery last season after winning just 74 games in 2015. They made no big offseason acquisitions but they also did not lose much so there should be no drastic fall. This team is loaded with veterans that know how to win and they will be hungry after missing the playoffs the last two seasons. Detroit also benefits from the three teams below them likely not improving.
Kansas City Royals
Kansas City won 14 fewer games than it did in its 2015 World Series season and based on the win total, people are expected more of a dropoff. There is plenty of motivation for the Royals to get back to the top and while the death of Yordano Ventura was a horrible tragedy, they will use that as a bonding tool. Kansas City added some talent in needed positions.
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota went from 83 wins to 59 wins and it was the only 100-loss team in baseball so things cannot get much worse. The win total seems high but this team is much better than what transpired last season. The Twins are young but those youngsters are talented and if they can get some consistency with the starting rotation, they could be a pleasant surprise but contending in the division will not happen.
National League Central
Chicago Cubs
Kyle Schwarber is healthy and that means more hits and runs for an already powerful Cubs' offensive lineup. He has an on-base percentage of .408 for his career. Wade Davis is a solid closer to replace Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen. Davis had a 1.87 ERA last year for Kansas City. Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta provide a potent top-3 in the starting rotation. Joe Maddon is an excellent manager that will keep this team humble and motivated.
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds' rotation is going to be awful as Dan Straily was traded, plus both Homer Bailey and Anthony DeSclafani are currently injured. The bullpen was terrible last year as they led the majors in home runs, walks and runs allowed. Cincinnati will likely be a seller once the trade deadline approaches.
Milwaukee Brewers
Ryan Braun is a star and his surgically repaired back allowed him to play 135 games last year. Jonathan Villar led the league in stolen bases with 62. The Brewers became the fourth team in MLB history to hit 180 home runs and steal 180 bases last season. Craig Counsell is a solid manager that will keep his team competing hard all year.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Behind Gerrit Cole in the rotation is Ivan Nova and some youngsters who are very unproven. Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl and Jameson Taillon are highly touted prospects, but they went just 10-11 combined last season. Daniel Hudson was acquired for the bullpen, but he had a poor 5.22 ERA last year. Pittsburgh might become sellers at the trade deadline if they are not in the playoff race.
St. Louis Cardinals
Alex Reyes undergoing Tommy John surgery weakens the rotation as he will not be available this year. Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright are coming off poor performances last season. The Cardinals are also an aging team at some key positions. Matt Holliday and Brandon Moss combined for 48 home runs last season, but they have both departed.
American League West
Houston Astros
While the Astros' rotation is prime for a resurgence, last season has to be a concern. Dallas Keuchel went from Cy Young to a 4.55 ERA and just nine wins while Colin McHugh has seen his ERA go from 2.73 to 3.89 to 4.34 the last three years. The bullpen ERA of 3.56 was pretty solid but it was a closer-by-committee with Ken Giles coming into the season as the opening day closer. Holding off both Texas and Seattle will be tough.
Los Angeles Angels
While Mike Trout is awesome, he can't carry the Angels' offense, so there needs to be production elsewhere. The Angels win total has gone from 98 to 85 to 77 the last three years and most of that is due to the offense going backwards. Garret Richards elected for rehab instead of Tommy John surgery so he could be vulnerable to injury again. The farm system is pretty bare giving them little trade opportunities.
Oakland Athletics
The A’s have had very poor back-to-back seasons but there is some hope going forward. Starting ace Sonny Gray had a down season but he had a few nagging injuries so he is ready to get back his normal form. The rotation as a whole is pretty solid while the bullpen should be much improved. The offense lacks firepower but the signings of Trevor Plouffe and Matt Joyce definitely help.
Seattle Mariners
The window is closing on Seattle as their main core is getting old. Felix Hernandez finished with a 3.82 ERA which was his highest since 2007 while Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano are 36 and 34 respectively. Behind Hernandez is Hisashi Iwakuma who is very solid but is 36. After those two, the remainder of the rotation is weak. They overhauled a lot of their roster in the offseason so coming together as a team is a concern.
Texas Rangers
Since August 13th, 2015 the Rangers have gone 127-84 which is one of the best marks in baseball. They have their sights set on a third straight division title buoyed by a potent offense and two great starters in Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish. The offense is balanced and possesses power as Texas finished fourth in the American League in runs scored. Finding arms at the bottom of the rotation could put them on top again.
National League West
Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-backs have a lot of question marks in the rotation with Shelby Miller, Archie Bradley and Taijuan Walker. The closer is Fernando Rodney who is not a long-term answer at 40-years old. The D-Backs ranked 30th in team ERA in 2016 and did not fix their pitching issues in the offseason. Injuries will also be an issue for a team that lacks depth.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies offense ranked near the top in several categories last year and they have added Ian Desmond who should be big when he returns from injury. Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez are two of the most underrated young talents in the league. Jon Gray threw 185 strikeouts in just 168 innings last year and should improve with Bud Black as the manager. Greg Holland comes over from Kansas City and will be a boost to this bullpen.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Age is an issue for this Dodgres squad, with just three members of the lineup younger than 29-years old which means injuries could become an issue. Rich Hill is 37-years old, while Brandon McCarthy is 34-years old and he had a weak 4.95 ERA in just 10 appearances last year. The top of the bullpen is strong, but there are several arms vying for the opportunity to be the bridge to Pedro Baez and Jansen.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants' rotation depth is very good when you have Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto on top of Matt Moore and Jeff Samardzija. San Francisco also filled their closer role with Mark Melancon after he pitched for Pittsburgh and Washington in 2016. Melancon had a 1.64 ERA combined for those two teams. The offensive lineup is deep with Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford leading the way.
San Diego Padres
This team is openly in sell mode and will probably get rid of their veterans by the trade deadline. Their perceived rotation is filled with washed up veterans and unproven youth. Christian Friedrich is the "ace" and he went 5-12 with a 4.80 ERA in 2016. There is talk of piggybacking starters and having pitchers go just four or five innings instead of deeper into ballgames this year.
