Baseball Prop bets

Looking to make a future bet for the upcoming baseball season but don't want to tie up the bankroll until October? Palms bet boss Richie Baccellieri has solved that conundrum by posting propositions on which team will have the most wins at the All-Star break.

That's just one of several interesting baseball betting opportunities offered at the popular Las Vegas venue. The Palms has the usual bill of fare with odds on the World Series and the pennant and division races. But Baccellieri has also posted odds on which slugger will hit the most home runs and which pitcher will have the most victories.

The half-season win props offer head-to-head matchups between teams playing in the same city, as well as traditional rivalries.

One of the most popular props figures to be the one that features the fiercest rivals of them all, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Yankees fans have to lay three games and $1.25 to win $1.00 if they think their team is going to have a better record than the Red Sox at the All-Star break.

The Bronx Bombers are a bigger favorite over the Mets, the other guys in the Big Apple. One has to lay 3 1/2 games and $1.15 to win $1.00 to wager on the Yankees having more wins at intermission than the Mets.

The Chicago White Sox have received a lot of attention from bettors in their matchup against their cross-town rivals the Cubs. The defending champs opened at minus -4 (minus $1.20) over their Wrigley Field neighbors. However,that number has moved to $1.35.

The Cubs also aren't getting much respect against St. Louis. The Cardinals hit the board at minus -4 (minus $1.10) and they are now listed at $1.25.

There are 26 different matchup opportunities for this particular prop, including the Dodgers/Angels, Astros/Rangers, Angels/ White Sox and Giants/A's.

Though Atlanta's Andruw Jones led the majors last season with 51 home runs, the Braves slugger isn't favored to defend his title in Baccellieri's book. That honor goes to Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees.

Rodriguez, who led the American League last season with 48 long flies, hit the board as co-favorite with St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols at 7/1. Pujols' odds have been increased to 10/1 to attract action, while the odds on Rodriguez have dropped to 4/1.

The top-10 home run hitters last season are all back at the top of the list in 2006. They are joined this year by Barry Bonds and Jim Thome, who both spent the better part of last year on the sidelines. The controversial Bonds opened at 12/1, but is currently 16/1. Thome, peddled to the White Sox this winter, is available at 18/1.

Mark Teixeria of Texas (12/1 down to 9/1), David Ortiz of Boston (16/1 to 8/1), Adam Dunn of Cincinnati (18/1 to 12/1) and Derek Lee of the Cubs (25/1 to 15/1) have attracted a good deal of action. Cincinnati's Ken Griffey, Jr. has also been a popular play, dropping from 35/1 to 22/1.
Toronto's Roy Halladay is the favorite at The Palms to finish the season with the most victories. The Jays ace was headed for a Cy Young caliber season in 2005 until he was sidelined with an injury. Halladay opened at 12/1 and is currently listed at 13/2.

Minnesota's Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez of the Mets opened as co-favorites at 8/1, but both are currently available at 10/1. Houston's Roy Oswalt is the second choice in the betting, dropping from 10/1 to 8/1.

Chris Carpenter was second behind Willis last year with 21 wins, and early bird bettors are expecting more of the same. The St. Louis ace hit the board at 20/1, but that quickly dropped to 10/1. Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs, who pitched better last season than his 14-6 record indicates, went from 22/1 to 12/1.