Posted on
6/11/2007 5:07:49 PM
Bet on Baseball - Mariners, D-Backs, Brewers Most Improved
By Hunter Kesey
Check Out BetUS Baseball Sports Radio HERE!
The New York Mets and the New York Yankees tied for the top winning percentage in all of baseball last season at .599 (with records of 97-65). Overall, 14 teams had records of .500 of better in 2006, with the Houston Astros just barely over that line at .506 (82-80).
Here’s a rundown of all 30 winning percentages from the 2006 season:
2006 Final Winning Percentages
01 - New York Mets --- .599
02 - New York Yankees --- .599
03 - Minnesota Twins --- .593
04 - Detroit Tigers --- .586
05 - Oakland Athletics --- .574
06 - Chicago White Sox --- .556
07 - Los Angeles Angels --- .549
08 - Los Angeles Dodgers --- .543
09 - San Diego Padres --- .543
10 - Toronto Blue Jays --- .537
11 - Boston Red Sox --- .531
12 - Philadelphia Phillies --- .525
13 - St. Louis Cardinals --- .516
14 - Houston Astros --- .506
15 - Cincinnati Reds --- .494
16 - Texas Rangers --- .494
17 - Atlanta Braves --- .488
18 - Cleveland Indians --- .481
19 - Florida Marlins --- .481
20 - Seattle Mariners --- .481
21 - San Francisco Giants --- .472
22 - Arizona Diamondbacks --- .469
23 - Colorado Rockies --- .469
24 - Milwaukee Brewers --- .463
25 - Washington Nationals --- .438
26 - Baltimore Orioles --- .432
27 - Tampa Bay Devil Rays --- .377
28 - Pittsburgh Pirates --- .414
29 - Chicago Cubs --- .407
30 - Kansas City Royals --- .383
So which teams are doing markedly better or worse so far in 2007?
Here’s a rundown of all 30 winning percentages from the current year, through games played Saturday:
2007 Winning Percentages (through Saturday)
01 - Boston Red Sox --- .656
02 - Los Angeles Angels --- .635
03 - Cleveland Indians --- .617
04 - New York Mets --- .600
05 - San Diego Padres --- .590
06 - Detroit Tigers --- .574
07 - Arizona Diamondbacks --- .571
08 - Los Angeles Dodgers --- .565
09 - Seattle Mariners --- .552
10 - Oakland Athletics --- .541
11 - Atlanta Braves --- .540
12 - Milwaukee Brewers --- .532
13 - Philadelphia Phillies --- .516
14 - Florida Marlins --- .492
15 - Colorado Rockies --- .484
16 - Minnesota Twins --- .483
17 - New York Yankees --- .483
18 - Toronto Blue Jays --- .475
19 - Baltimore Orioles --- .468
20 - San Francisco Giants --- .459
21 - Chicago Cubs --- .450
22 - Tampa Bay Devil Rays --- .450
23 - Chicago White Sox --- .448
24 - St. Louis Cardinals --- .441
25 - Houston Astros --- .426
26 - Pittsburgh Pirates --- .419
27 - Washington Nationals --- .419
28 - Cincinnati Reds --- .381
29 - Texas Rangers --- .371
30 - Kansas City Royals --- .365
The Red Sox sit atop the list this season at .656, after disappointing with a .531 winning percentage (and no playoff appearance) in 2006. That’s made the BoSox a much better wager in 2007, although they are being listed as bigger favorites in their matchups.
The Yankees, on the other hand, have just come alive recently to improve their winning percentage to .483 – and that’s still over 100 points below last year’s league-best mark.
Five teams are currently over .500 this season after ending up with a losing record in 2006 – the Indians, Diamondbacks, Mariners, Braves, and Brewers. Cleveland’s .481 winning percentage was well below expectations last year, so having them at .617 so far this season isn’t a huge surprise. The Braves rising from a percentage of .488 to .540 isn’t a shocker either – Bobby Cox’s club usually finds a way to be competitive.
But the D-Backs, Mariners, and Brewers have all been solid sources of revenue for baseball bettors so far in 2007. Here are the changes in winning percentage for them.
2006 Seattle Mariners + .071
2006 Arizona Diamondbacks + .102
2006 Milwaukee Brewers + .069
The Mariners have improved over the past month, handling weaker teams from Texas and Baltimore, and getting an interleague series win over the Padres. The D-Backs have picked up the pace as well, with series wins over the Mets and Giants in June (although they had trouble with the Red Sox on the weekend). The Brewers had one of the top records in baseball early on, but a recent slump has lowered their winning percentage.
Eight teams that finished over .500 last season again have winning records this year – the Angels, Mets, Padres, Tigers, Dodgers, Athletics, Phillies, and Red Sox. Of those teams Boston’s improvement has been the biggest so far, while the Angels have gone from .549 to .635, and the Padres have gone from .543 to .590. The other five teams either have stayed pretty much the same, or have seen a slight dip in their percentages.
Six teams that ended up above .500 in 2006 currently find themselves with losing records this season – the Yankees, Twins, White Sox, Blue Jays, Cardinals, and Astros. Minnesota and Toronto are the closest to the .500 mark right now – they ended Saturday with winning percentages of .483 and .475, respectively, down from .593 and .537 last year. The ChiSox, defending champion Cards, and Astros are all farther in the standings hole.
That leaves 11 teams that were losers last year, and are losers again this year. The biggest falls out of that group have been by the Reds and Rangers, who flirted with the .500 mark last season but have two of the three worst winning percentages in baseball in 2007. Betting on either Cincinnati or Texas this season has been a pretty awful idea.
The Rockies, Orioles, Devil Rays, and Cubs have all shown some improvement in the standings, while the Marlins, Giants, Nationals, and Pirates have been steady or worse this season.
The Royals, with a league-worst .383 winning percentage in 2006, have somehow fallen even further, to a league-worst winning percentage of .365 in 2007. If you bet on KC you really need to pick your spots – those victories do not come easily or often.
Get the latest odds, props, and futures for MLB at the BetUS.com Sportsbook.
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!