MLB Betting Lines & Odds: Home Run Derby And All-Star Game
The National League hasn’t won the MLB All-Star Game since 1996. The baseball odds aren’t likely to be in the NL’s favor this year, either, judging by the incredibly poor job manager Charlie Manuel has done of filling out the roster.
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We go through this every year. Deserving players are invariably left off the All-Star team; fans and managers alike have their biases toward familiar veteran players, which is why baseball is such a great sport for seamheads to handicap in the first place. But perhaps the worst snub of them all was avoided on Thursday when Cincinnati Reds slugger Joey Votto (1.006 OPS, 21 home runs at press time) was named the NL winner of the Final Vote, a fan ballot that’s been in place since 2002 to fill the final roster spot. Nick Swisher of the New York Yankees (.895 OPS, 14 HR) was the winner in the American League.
It’s only just that Votto gets to play in this year’s Midsummer Classic in Anaheim (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. ET, FOX). Votto is in his third full season with the Reds and has played outstanding baseball ever since joining the parent club – and you don’t need an advanced degree in sabermetrics to figure that out, either. He leads the NL in home runs, hitting .313 with 59 RBI at the halfway point.
Why didn’t Votto get picked to begin with? Mainly because he plays first base, the same position as Albert Pujols (.971 OPS, 20 HR) of the St. Louis Cardinals, Adrian Gonzalez (.929 OPS, 17 HR) of the San Diego Padres and Ryan Howard (.865 OPS, 16 HR) of the Philadelphia Phillies – the same team Manuel manages for his day job. Being the least experienced of the four didn’t help Votto. Neither did playing for the Reds, for that matter.
If only we could vote certain players off the team. Yadier Molina (.610 OPS) of the Cardinals is the starting catcher. Utility player Omar Infante (.706 OPS) of the Atlanta Braves was picked by Manuel as a reserve. And Michael Bourn (.679 OPS) of the Houston Astros – a former Phillie, by the way – gets to play outfield Tuesday night in Anaheim because he leads the senior circuit with 28 stolen bases. Whoopee.
The AL, skippered by Joe Girardi of the Yankees, has some dubious picks of its own. Felix Hernandez (6-5, 3.01 ERA) of the Seattle Mariners and Francisco Liriano (6-6, 3.32 ERA) of the Minnesota Twins were left off the roster because of their won-loss records, which is eminently unfair, while Ty Wigginton (.776 OPS) will represent the Baltimore Orioles at third base. But the AL squad remains packed with talent.
It’s difficult enough being the NL these days. The advent of the designated hitter in 1973 forced AL pitchers to become that much stronger over the years compared to their NL counterparts. It also created more job opportunities and more development time for hitters. It’s a given now that players switching from one league to the other will find their lives harder or easier. And in interleague play, the AL has posted the better record in each of the last seven seasons, including 134-118 thus far in 2010.
At least the NL hitters have a chance to shine during Monday’s Home Run Derby (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN). Although they’ve only won 11 of the 25 competitions held since 1985 (1988 was rained out), representatives of the senior circuit took first place in three of the last five years – Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Braves being the most recent winner. This year’s four-man teams were still being assembled at press time; here are the participants we know of:
American League
Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers (21 HR)
Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays (19 HR)
David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (17 HR)
National League
Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers (19 HR)
Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals (14 HR)
Robinson Cano (16 HR) of the Yankees had been selected for the Home Run Derby, but New York decided to pull Cano out of the competition because of a “minor back condition.” Cano found out about the decision from reporters on Wednesday afternoon and was upset about not being told directly by Yankees brass, but says he agrees with the decision itself. We’ll have odds for both the Derby and the All-Star Game right here at Bodog Sports once rosters are finalized.
