There are certain sporting events that bring out the heavy wagering, year in and year out. The Triple Crown, the Super Bowl, or the NBA Finals are all big times for sportsbooks as well as sports bettors. MLB’s World Series is more than just another one of these events. The worldwide appeal of baseball actually extends much further than the NFL’s or any other American sports league with huge markets in South America, Asia, and Japan.
There will be more wagers placed the week of the World Series internationally than at any other time of the year. It is the Fall Classic and the two best teams are competing for the trophy so there is obviously plenty of action to go around. Here we have compiled a list of tips and strategy to help your wagers be successful ones the next time the World Series rolls around.
Props to the Props
Just like any big sporting event, the World Series will bring out the wagers, especially the props. It’s a seven game series after all and a lot can happen so there are many outcomes to predict and wager on. The props always get very interesting in the World Series. Whether it is runs based, hits based, or hit by pitch based, there are lots of prop bets with great odds. If you are a baseball fan, especially a fan of one of the teams playing in the contest, check out the props and use your insider information to score some good value.
Deep Teams
Really the only difference between the two leagues in the MLB is the designated hitter. The American League keeps one and the National League doesn’t. It makes for a bit of fun when the World Series comes about because the teams competing were built to win in their respective leagues, not against the others. No team really has an advantage here that you can set your watch to. However, to predict the winner. Look for the team with the deeper bench. Whether it’s the NL’s team with a few good hitters or the AL’s team with a versatile DH. The deeper the team, the better they will do in the opposing team’s ballpark.
Ride the Hot Bat
The Major League Baseball season is definitely a long and brutal one. These guys play everyday. For six months. And then have at least another 11 games in October to claim the big prize. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Teams put themselves in position to make the playoffs all season and then hope to get hot at the end, throughout the playoffs to the World Series. The hot team wins the World Series and that’s the team you want to ride.
When it gets to the Series, you don’t want the team that’s been fighting and scrapping, you want the team that’s been winning. If any baseball series is over-analyzed it’s the World Series. Keep it simple. Who won the most games in the regular season? Who breezed through the first two rounds? That’s the team you want to go with.
Good Pitching Beats… You Know the Rest
Just like “offense wins games, defense wins championships,” baseball’s “good pitching beats good hitting every time,” is the sport’s favorite cliche. Cliches are cliches because they are boring over-simplications. However, cliches are also cliches because they are deeply based on facts and, once again, a boring cliche rings true.
Often in the World Series, you’ll get the match up of a great hitting team versus a great pitching team. Take the great pitching team. If either teams’ ace is on the mound. Take the ace. World Series games are notoriously close games where pitching is put to a premium even in high scoring games, give yourself the best chance by sticking with the strong pitchers.
Overs, Yes. Unders, Yes, Too.
Totals wagers are good bets in the World Series because you have a good starting place. Since the NL rules apply to the NL parks and the AL rules apply to the AL parks, the DH is only a factor in the AL park. An extra batter in the game is an extra chances for runs to be scored so the rule of thumb goes, Overs in the AL, Unders in the NL. However, this is just your jumping off point. This way, you have a starting place to inform your wager. Much like home-field advantage should always be considered, so should the home-league advantage.
Speaking of Home-Field
Home-field advantage is the easiest factor to consider when placing a World Series wager. No matter the sport. No matter if it’s the regular season or the championship game. Home teams perform better. It is tough to win on the road in the World Series, especially considering the change in league rules, as mentioned before.
AL teams can’t find a place on the field for their DH, therefore, one of their best hitters is out of the lineup. NL teams get to use a position their roster isn’t built for. Plus, the team with the home-field advantage throughout the series is the team with the best overall record.
