Top Three Profitable Pitchers on Bad Teams : MLB Betting
Technically, baseball is a team sport. Major League Baseball has 30 teams, each with a 25-man roster (and a 40-man roster). Communication between players is important. Camaraderie helps, too. But for the most part, MLB players are specialized workers, each doing his own thing on the diamond.
That goes double for starting pitchers. These are the most important players on the field; a strong performance on the mound can do wonders for a club that’s otherwise low on talent. It can also fatten your MLB betting bankroll. Most bettors overlook these hidden gems, paying more attention to the name on the front of the uniform than the name on the back.
Here are the top three starters at press time who have made a pile of money for their supporters this year, despite playing for losing teams:
1. Junior Guerra, Milwaukee Brewers (+10.62 units)
The Brewers have found themselves a gem. Guerra was on the fringes of baseball, playing in the Mexican and Italian Leagues after getting released from the New York Mets system in 2009. The Chicago White Sox gave Guerra a cup of coffee last year before putting him on waivers. On Monday, Guerra (3.71 FIP) blanked the Washington Nationals over 7.1 innings in a 1-0 victory, cashing in the Brewers as +230 road dogs to improve his team record to 10-2. Not bad for a 31-year-old rookie.
2. Colin Rea, San Diego Padres (+8.23 units)
Rea (4.32 FIP) has taken the more traditional path to the majors, although he’s not exactly at the top of the Padres prospect list. They drafted Rea in the 12th round back in 2011, then let the 6-foot-5 righty work his way up through the farm system before promoting him to the parent club last August. Rea has good command of his fastball, a promising 12-6 curve, and San Diego is 9-6 in his 15 starts thus far.
3. Vince Velasquez, Philadelphia Phillies (+5.59 units)
Teams that are rebuilding are usually wise to let go of their star closers, and the Phillies did a fine job last December when they sent Ken Giles to the Houston Astros. Velasquez (3.42 FIP) was the centerpiece of the package Philadelphia got in return, and he’s off to a tremendous start for his new employers, leading the Phillies to a 9-5 record in his first 14 starts. The California native has four plus-pitches, including a searing 94-mph fastball and a nasty curve; he’s struck out 10.78 batters per nine innings. Giles had one save for the Astros heading into Monday’s action.
