I spoke with one of the most-respected and sharpest guys in the industry, director of sports marketing at the South Point Hotel & Casino, Jimmy Vaccaro. Jimmy told me the popularity of Season Win Totals has risen over the years.
Vaccaro stated, “Back in the mid-80’s and early 90’s, the sharper players had an edge, having a little more time to prep and also taking advantage of the books, as they didn’t adjust the Totals as quick as they do today.”
He said presently, the “wiseguys” are wagering bigger on long-term bets than in the past. Usually, the more popular teams are “fan favorites” and see more action by the general public. Over his tenure, he can’t remember the books ever not making money on Season Wins Totals, however, Jimmy did admit several books were caught looking and lost some money on the Houston Astros last year. He sees a boost in overall wagers on Season Wins Totals when the town gets overwhelmed with tourists during March Madness.
Baseball is all about pitching, so it is no wonder all seven teams slated to win 91 or more games, are ranked in the Top 10 Best Starting Rotations for 2018. Those teams are the Red Sox (91 wins), Cubs (93), Indians (94.5), Astros (97), Dodgers (96.5), Yankees (94), and Nationals (92). Oh, by the way, all seven ranked in the Top 12 offensively in 2017.
I have selected seven teams that should offer strong value for the 2018 season.
• Diamondbacks OVER 85: Despite being in the most-competitive division in baseball last season, Arizona won 93 games. A strong lineup that can score runs and support their top-5 pitching staff.
• Indians OVER 94.5: One of three teams to have over 100 regular season wins in 2017, they return one of the most-feared pitching staffs in baseball.
• Rockies OVER 81: This is a team that has finally found a way to win away from Coors Field.
• Mets UNDER 81: While possessing a solid starting rotation, their pitching staff once again just won’t get enough run support from their lineup.
• Giants UNDER 84: For a team that won only 64 games last year, they didn’t make that much of a jump to improve 20. Not to mention playing in the NL West with three solid teams.
• Blue Jays UNDER 82.5: The AL East is always one of the most-competitive divisions and the Jays just don’t have the bats to go up against the Red Sox and Yankees.
• Nationals OVER 92: Still one of the best teams in the NL with great pitching and a deadly lineup.
Hence forth, we will be talking winning picks, the latest news, and the biggest bets in the Vegas books.
Good Luck, and have a winning day.