With the MLB season now underway, it’s the perfect time to get back into, or explore for the first time, sports betting. Let’s take a look at a few of the interesting angles, some out-of-the-box thinking, and the ways you might want to bet that you may wish to consider when it comes to America’s hardball pastime in 2024. 

American League East

• The number 1 prospect in baseball, Jackson Holliday, of the Baltimore Orioles, has one of the best shots at Rookie of the Year. Although he’s only 20 and starting the season in the Minors, he’s on track to help the big league team in a big way in 2024 once he’s called up for good.
• The Toronto Blue Jays might surprise everyone with their offseason improvements and finish first in the East.

American League West

• The Texas Rangers might miss the post-season! Although the Rangers won it all last year, none of manager Bruce Bochy’s previous World Series winners were able to reach the post-season the following year. It’s a tough task for anyone, even a manager as talented as Bochy and a team as stacked as the Rangers. It’s also important to remember that the Rangers almost didn’t finish in first place last year, with a middling 38 – 33 won lost record after the All Star game!
• The Oakland Athetics will be better than last year. In 2022, the A’s lost a whopping 102 games, only to follow that up in 2023 with a staggering 112 losses. This year, their final in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas and a fresh start, there’s a good chance they’ll lose fewer than 90 games. That’s still not great, but certainly something worth taking a chance on, particularly since they have a better pitching rotation and a stronger infield.
• The Seattle Mariners are looking stronger than they have in years and could very well take the division.

American League Central

• Against all odds, the Kansas City Royals may have just done enough in the offseason to take the division this year.

National League East

• After the past four years of disappointment as a starter, the Washington Nationals pitcher, Patrick Corbin, is due for a rebound. Why? It’s his final contract year and the percentage of players who tend to outperform expectations under those conditions is pretty high. Is there a chance he could even make the All Star team? Maybe.
• This might not be the Atlanta Braves year. The Braves have had amazing consistency winning their division for the past six seasons. This year? Don’t count out the Philadelphia Phillies finally getting past being a Wild Card team and ruling the division.

National League West

• The Los Angeles Dodgers might miss the post-season! Although FanGraphs is giving the Dodges a big 93.5% of making the playoffs, there’s always a chance that the Dodgers big run could result in big disappointment for fans. Those are the kind of odds that even a small investment could yield big returns should it prove true. And certainly there’s a chance if more scandals break out.
• The Arizona Diamondbacks seem as strong as ever, giving them great odds to not only make the playoffs, but a good chance to win it all.

National League Central

• The Pittsburgh Pirates as Division Champs? It could happen, but of course, in such a wide-open division they may have to settle for battling for a Wild Card spot. That would still make for a great season, and great betting opportunities.

Conclusion

We explored just a small sampling of the nearly endless ways to approach a major league sports season. It’s often important to look for angles and storylines that are just a bit outside the norm to maximize your return on investment. There’s the moneyline, odds, parlays, spreads, totals (aka, over/under), props, and teaser bets to consider. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to do everything at once. You can start small, gain the knowledge needed, and expand from there. And thanks to some new initiatives, there’s a good chance you’re one of the more than 160 million American adults that can legally wager in your home state.