Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Who are the favourites to win the World Series this season?

People start putting down future bets on the winners of the World Series well in advance of the start of the MLB season, but with that start now just days away, this betting is really starting to heat up. It is expected to be a closely fought season, with a number of sides in both the American League (AL) and National League (NL) considered to be capable of going all the way, and this competitiveness is reflected in the pre-season odds information.

Although the Washington Nationals are nominally the favourites, with World Series odds of just 8/1, there are actually a number of other sides with similar low odds. The Nationals secure pre-season favourite status ahead of the likes of the Detroit Tigers, LA Angels and LA Dodgers purely on account of having these odds at more betting sites. It will be a tough ask for their relatively inexperienced team to move from winning last season’s NL East Division, to winning the World Series – and the expensively assembled teams from LA will not be in the mood to let them have it all their own way. Having spent somewhere in the region of £230 million on their payroll, the Dodgers in particular, cannot really tolerate failure.

Where this leaves those looking to put a future bet on the winners is anyone’s guess, but luckily nowadays other options are easy to come by and some may find it less daunting to play Hot Shot at an online casino like www.mobileslots.net. Hot Shot is possibly the finest baseball themed slots machine game around, due to a combination of traditional slot features like cheap play and a good jackpot ($2000) with the kind of immersive baseball graphics and audio effects that make the game appealing to baseball lovers. For example, every time you get a winning reel, you will hear the sound of a bat whacking a baseball into touch, and these features really make Hot Shot a perfect game for any real fan of the MLB.

Thursday, February 07, 2013

A Look at The Future for the Cardinals

With a World Series win in 2011 and a playoff appearance in 2012, the future might not be on the minds of most Cardinals fans. However, with some of the star players aging, and the recent injury news for Chris Carpenter, St. Louis might be looking at their farm system for help sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, they have a number of players full of potential waiting in the wings. Whether they make it to the majors with the Cardinals or they are used for trade bait, here are the three best.

Oscar Taveras

The outfielder might be the best prospect in all of baseball (with Jurickson Profar, Dylan Bundy and Wil Myers all making strong cases and it will be interesting to see who goes first in fantasy baseball 2013 drafts). Taveras is a lefty who has plate coverage that resembles that of future Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero.

Taveras will enter 2013 as a 20-year old, and since he has not played past AA so far, he will more than likely spend the majority of the season in the minors. However, if he can continues to progress with his raw power and defensive ability, he could be in St. Louis soon.

Shelby Miller

When it comes to the whole package, there are few right-handed pitcher in the minors better than Shelby Miller. Nothing really blows a person away, but he has above average stuff, solid size and a fastball that hits in the low to mid 90s. He will turn 23 late in the season, so chances are he will get an extended trial in the majors this season.

This past season was not one of Miller’s best, but he was able to fix some of his mechanical issues to get back on track. He is hoping to ride his strong finish to 2012 into an opening day roster spot in 2013.

Carlos Martinez

At just six foot (being generous) and 165 pounds (also generous), Martinez does not have the prototypical size of a star pitcher in the making. However, neither did a guy with the last name Martinez and the first name Pedro. Martinez’ stuff gives him top of the rotation potential, with a mid-90s fastball than can hit triple-digits if he dials it up. His curveball and changeup are already above-average pitches, and the 21-year old continues to get better.

Health issues have already cropped up with Martinez, which is a cause for concern when a guy is that small and throwing so hard. If he can stay healthy, a 2013 appearance might be in the cards.