Get to the Point
By Jimmy Harris
After some recent baseball betting debacles, I decided it was time to review the numbers again and get a refresher on which MLB teams were paying off and which teams were busting bankrolls.
The money leaders so far this season are the Arizona Diamondbacks at +$955. The D-Backs also own the best record in all of baseball. Arizona may have paid out well for any bettors smart enough to drop a $100 unit on them in every game this season, but they've been a nightmare for me.
Every time I've bet on Arizona they've lost, and every time I have bet against them they have won. Maybe my new strategy will be to put money on Arizona every night.
Also raking in cash so far this season is Florida at +$795 and Tampa Bay at +$780. Nothing was expected of the young Marlins this season, but they're leading the NL East which has led to some nice payouts.
Same goes for the Rays. Bettors continue to cash in on the Rays' reputation for being horrible even though they're way beyond that.
The money-losing list is full of teams that were supposed to be playoff contenders. Topping the list is San Diego at -$1783! Even games started by Jake Peavy haven't been money makers for bettors, as the Cy Young winner is 4-3 and currently on the DL.
Other big losers include Seattle at -$1330, Detroit at -$1572 and the Yankees at -$1040. Detroit could be the biggest bust of the year if they keep this up, since they were picked as a World Series favorite before the season began.
All these numbers are good to know, but since they are all in the past it doesn't mean they can predict the future. Just because a team has a + in the money-making category doesn't also mean they're automatically worth betting on every night. Take Boston for example.
The Red Sox have been a money maker so far at +$615. However, you'd be a whole lot richer if you had just bet on the Red Sox at home.
At home the Sox are 19-5 and paid out at +$1240. On the road it's the complete opposite, as the Sox are 10-14 away from Fenway and would have cost you -$625 in those away games. If you had only bet on Boston home games, you'd be looking at a much bigger profit.