MLB Futures - Regular Season Pitcher Propositions

Opening Day in Major League Baseball is quickly approaching and the BetUS is starting to gear up for a great 2009!

One of the best wagers that online bettors can place is on baseball props where getting odds on good teams, or in this case good pitchers, in prop bets can really increase the yearly bankroll.

Let’s take a look at some of the best prop bets available to gamblers in the pitching category.

MLB Futures: Regular Season Pitcher Propositions

1. Tim Lincecum Over 15 ½ wins +105 - - Bettors are getting more than even money on Lincecum, San Francisco’s ace, to get at least 16 wins. The reason the odds are so good on Lincecum is because even though he’s the reigning N.L. Cy Young award winner, he pitches for the San Francisco Giants who are just awful. Well, the Giants have improved slightly. Enough for Lincecum to win at least 16 games? Yes, I think so. This is an excellent pitcher prop bet in the sportsbook.

2. Jake Peavy Under 13 ½ wins -115 - - Peavy is a dominant guy for the San Diego Padres but there are two things going against him this year. First, he’s coming off of an injury plagued 2008. Will he be okay? Not if he plays against Puerto Rico again who drubbed him in the WBC. The other issue with Peavy is that he plays for arguably the worst team in baseball in 2009. I see Jake having another disappointing season.

3. Brandon Webb Over 15 ½ wins -125 - - The odds are actually very good on Webb who should easily win at least 16 games with Dan Haren in the rotation and Arizona picking up a few bats to go along with their stellar line-up. Webb was awesome again in 2008 even though he began to give it up towards the middle and end of the season, but early on, he was fantastic. 16 wins should be a given for Webb.

4. Cliff Lee Over 15 ½ wins -145 - - 16 victories should be a given for Cliff Lee as well. Unless he gets hurt, Lee should easily get at least 20 victories because Cleveland figures to improve in 2009, that’s what good organizations do, and Lee should be just as dominating as he was in 2008.

5. C.C. Sabbathia Under 15 ½ wins +105 - - Make no mistake. This is a gamble. The idea is that C.C. won’t be nearly as effective in the A.L. in 2009 as he was in the N.L. in 2008. My reasons for making this wager are simple. C.C. was a surprise guy in 2008, the N.L. batters had no idea what sort of style he was going to bring to the table, while pitching in the A.L. is going to hurt his chances of winning as many games. He won’t dominate the Angels, Tigers, Indians, White Sox, Red Sox and Rays the way he did the entire N.L. in 2008. This is a gamble, but it’s a gamble worth taking.

6. Matsuzaka vs. Zambrano Most Wins, Zambrano + ½ -115 - - This is a tough one because Matsuzaka can be dominating but my thinking is that Zambrano rarely gets injured and is a force for the Cubs with his bat which means Lou Pinella will be less likely to keep him on the bench and/or to pull him from games. Zambrano has more chances for victories because he can pitch longer into games while Dice-K has a tendency to get hurt. Also, the rest of the A.L. is going to catch up with Dice-K eventually while Zambrano faces weaker bats overall in the N.L. I like Zambrano.