Posted on 2/8/2008 3:22:16 PM

Baseball Betting - MLB Preseason Props

By BetUS Staff

Even though snow continues to be dumped on most of America, pitchers and catchers will take to the field next week in Arizona and Florida as spring training gets underway. To get back into the swing of baseball, MLB betting fans already have a number of props to consider.

With the steroid scandal supposedly cleaning up the game, you would expect home run totals to fall back to their old levels from the 1980s. The latest home run props are predicting just such a drop, with the most home runs total set at 51.5. Last season Alex Rodriguez led the majors with 54 homers and only one other player cracked the 50-homer plateau, as Prince Fielder launched 50 bombs. With that in mind it’s not surprising that the Under is favored at -135.

Rodriguez also led the majors in RBIs last season with 156, which was 17 more than any other player. Magglio Ordonez finished second in RBIs with 139. The oddsmakers are expecting RBI totals to also take a hit this season, setting the Most RBIs prop total at 146.5. The Over and the Under are both listed at -120.

One offensive prop that likely won’t have to rely on A-Rod for an Over result is the batting average prop. The total there was set at .344, with the leader having to win the batting title, so minimum at-bat limits do count. Only two major leaguers topped .344 last season with Magglio Ordonez hitting a MLB-best .363. and Ichiro Suzuki batting .351. The Over is heavily favored at -140, while the Under is a +105 dog.

If you prefer pitching props you can wager on wins, strikeouts and saves. The prop for wins has a high total of 19.5. That’s especially high when you consider only one pitcher, Josh Beckett, had 20 wins last season. Still, the Over is favored at -150.

The strikeouts prop also comes in high with a total of 236.5. Jake Peavy recorded a league-high 240 Ks last season while only one other pitcher, Scott Kazmir, had more than 236.5 with 239 punchouts. Bettors may want to note that Johan Santana had 235 strikeouts last season and will likely see that total rise after moving to the National League, while Erik Bedard was rolling along with 221 strikeouts in only 28 starts before injury shortened his season. With hard-throwing hurlers like those it’s not surprising that the Over is favored ay -125.

Closers have a lot to collectively live up to after the oddsmakers set the most saves prop total at a lofty 46.5. Only one closer, ex-Diamondbacks’ stopper Jose Valverde (now in Houston), would have topped that last season with 47 saves. Cleveland’s Joe Borowski came close with 45 saves, while Cincinnati’s Francisco Cordero (then with Milwaukee) recorded 44 saves. Even though only one closer had more than 46.5 saves last season, the Over is favored at -145 on the MLB odds.

Go to the BetUS sportsbook today and take a swing at Major League Baseball online betting. We have the most current baseball odds and lines, as well as player, game and series props throughout the MLB baseball season. To help you bet on sports, check out the Free Picks section of the Locker Room for sports betting free picks and predictions. Join BetUS to experience the best in online sports betting action!