Snow has blanketed parts of Pennsylvania and it’s been a frigid winter so far for the Commonwealth. And it’s not just limited to the weather outside.
The Philadelphia Eagles relationship with their franchise quarterback turned bitter causing a divorce. Joel Embiid is having an MVP season…when he isn’t taking time off to ice his sore back. And the Flyers‘ season was literally put on ice for 11 days as they dealt with a COVID outbreak.
Let’s think warm thoughts. Perhaps nothing invokes feelings of sunshine than Spring Training and the start of the 2021 MLB season.
Here is a breakdown for everything you can wager on right now when it comes to MLB betting.
MLB 2021 schedule
Season schedule:
- Feb. 28: Exhibition games begin
- Apr. 1: Opening Day
- July 13: All-Star Game in Atlanta
- Oct. 3: Regular season end
- Oct. 26: World Series, Game 1
The Phillies are allowing 2,200 fans per game at Spectrum Field during Spring Training. However, no plans for fans at Citizens Bank Park has been announced yet.
MLB 2021 betting preview at PA sportsbooks
Here are the betting markets currently available at Pennsylvania online sportsbooks for the 2021 MLB season. Included here are the top three favorites and Phillies odds; complete odds listed on the app.
The Phillies over/under win total is 80.5
2021 World Series odds (via DraftKings)
The favorites:
- Los Angeles Dodgers: +350
- New York Yankees: +550
- San Diego Padres: +800
Philadelphia Phillies 2021 World Series odds:
- Philadelphia Phillies: +4000
National League winner
The favorites:
- Los Angeles Dodgers: +175
- San Diego Padres: +390
- Atlanta Braves: +500
Philadelphia Phillies National League pennant odds:
- Philadelphia Phillies: +2000
National League East 2021 odds
- Atlanta Braves: +120
- New York Mets: +140
- Washington Nationals: +600
- Philadelphia Phillies: +875
- Miami Marlins: +2500
MLB 2021 player betting markets
National League MVP
The favorites:
- Mookie Betts: +750
- Juan Soto: +750
- Cody Bellinger: +800
The Phillies:
- Bryce Harper: +1500
- J.T. Realmuto: +3000
- Rhys Hoskins: +4000
- Alex Bohm: +5000
NL CY Young odds
The favorites:
- Jacob deGrom: +500
- Trevor Bauer: +700
- Max Scherzer: +850
The Phillies:
- Aaron Nola: +1200
- Zach Wheeler: +3300
Home Run Leader
The favorites:
- Pete Alonso: +1000
- Mike Trout: +1000
- Joey Gallo: +1100
The Phillies:
- Bryce Harper: +2000
- Rhys Hoskins: +4000
Strikeout leader
The favorites:
- Gerrit Cole: +450
- Jacob deGrom: +525
- Shane Bieber: +650
The Phillies:
- Aaron Nola: +2000
- Zach Wheeler: +6000
RBI Leader
The favorites:
- Juan Soto: +800
- Cody Bellinger: +1000
- Marcell Ozuna: +1200
The Phillies:
- Bryce Harper: +1500
- J.T. Realmuto: +4000
Runs leader
The favorites:
- Mookie Betts: +800
- Ronald Acuna, Jr.: +900
- Juan Soto: +1000
The Phillies:
- Bryce Harper: +1800
Wins leader
The favorites:
- Gerrit Cole: +1200
- Jacob deGrom: +1200
- Trevor Bauer: +1300
The Phillies:
- Aaron Nola: +1800
- Zach Wheeler: +5000
Early betting splits for the 2021 MLB futures
Early betting splits for MLB 2021 futures markets at DraftKings:
2021 World Series by % of handle ALL states where available
- 21%: Chicago White Sox
- 18%: New York Mets
- 14%: Los Angeles Dodgers
- 13%: New York Yankees
- 13%: San Diego Padres
2021 World Series by % of handle in Pennsylvania
- 22%: San Diego Padres
- 18: Los Angeles Dodgers
- 16%: New York Mets
- 9%: New York Yankees
- 7%: Milwaukee Brewers
National League betting splits by handle %
- 27%: New York Mets
- 26%: Los Angeles Dodgers
- 22%: San Diego Padres
- 11%: St. Louis Cardinals
- 5%: Atlanta Braves
- 2%: Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs
National League East betting splits by handle %
- 66%: New York Mets
- 19%: Atlanta Braves
- 9%: Philadelphia Phillies
- 5%: Washington Nationals
NL MVP Betting splits by handle %
- 20%: Juan Soto
- 18%: Fernando Tatis, Jr.
- 11%: Ronald Acuna
- 10%: Nolan Arenado
- 7%: Mookie Betts
- 6%: Bryce Harper
“Giant” underdogs and no-value favorites
At William Hill online sportsbook, the defending World Series champion Dodgers opened at +450 to repeat and are now down to +200.
Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill, commented:
“It’s very rare for a baseball team to be that low before the season. The thing about baseball is that things can crumble fast—one injury, one bad stretch, another team gets hot. The Dodgers have all the pieces, but the Padres have plenty of talent too. At +200, there’s no value in it, you might as well wait for the playoffs if you think they’re going to repeat. That way you avoid catastrophic things happening in the regular season and you’ll get around the same price anyway.”
The NL West has garnered the majority early money for 2021 World Series winner. The Dodgers are first with 21% of the total dollars wagered and the Padres rank second at 15%. For total number of tickets, Los Angeles and San Diego have each racked up 10%, the most of any team.
In the early goings, the biggest World Series futures wagers at William Hill are on the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals.
A New Jersey bettor placed $5,000 on Mets (25/1) for a total potential payout of $130,000. An Iowa bettor laid $5,000 on Cardinals (25/1) also for a total potential payout of $130,000. The Mets have attracted the third-most total dollars wagered at 13%.
One current long shot has been receiving noteworthy action at William Hill. The San Francisco Giants are currently listed at (200/1) and have collected 4% of the total number of tickets and 2% of the total dollars wagered.
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass
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