Alternative MLB Baseball Bets

Baseball is a sport that, for the most part, feels like it falls under the radar in Europe. Though it is immensely popular in America, Japan, and South Korea, baseball remains somewhat of a niche sport to bet on. But the sport is rife with action and betting possibilities. If you are looking for a new sport to bet on or are simply curious about the MLB, then you are in the right place. On this page, I will run through some of the wackier baseball bets that you can find, and how you can use them to your advantage.

Baseball – A Goldmine for Bettors

The MLB offers over 2,430 games in a regular season, followed by 32 to 53 more games in the postseason. To whet your betting appetite even further, the regular season games between two teams are held in series. These can be a series of 3 games, 4 games, or even up to 6 and 7 games, and they are played on consecutive days. With the MLB you don’t need to wait for a week before seeing them play again, as you can watch them play for three or four days in a row. Needless to say, you will have loads of chances to stake wagers, seize a piece of the live-betting action, and make bank.

How Hard is MLB Betting

One of the myths I have heard on the internet is that baseball is one of the “harder sports to bet on”.

While yes, there are lots of aspects to consider and if you are a complete beginner, then keeping track of games and reading statistics is no easy feat. But I think one of the reasons why this pops up is because of the game series format of MLB, and that there are simply so many games in one season.

Here are a few stats for you to digest:

• 2023/24 Major League Winners and League Record:
• 2023/24 NFL – Kansas City Chiefs – Record of 11-6 (.647)
• 2022/23 NBA – Denver Nuggets – Record of 52-29 (.646)

• 2022/23 NHL – Vegas Golden Knights – Record of 51-22-9 (.621)
• 2022/23 Premier League – Man City – Record of 28-5-5 (.736)
• 2022/23 Premier League – Barcelona – Record of 28-4-6 (.736)

Ok, so in terms of percentages, the champions of each of these leagues in American football, basketball, ice hockey, and football have all won around 65-70% of their games.

Let’s take a look at the past 5 winners of the MLB:

• 2019 – Washington Nationals – Record of 93-69 (.574)
• 2020* – Los Angeles Dodgers – Record of 43-17 (.717)
• 2021 – Atlanta Braves – Record of 83-73 (.547)
• 2022 – Houston Astros – Record of 106-56 (.654)
• 2023 – Texas Rangers – Record of 90-72 (.556)

*shortened season due to COVID-19

The MLB champions have slightly lower averages than that of the other major leagues. Looking at the number of losses, on paper, you would think that if a team lost 73 games in a season that would be considered a failure, but the Braves still managed to win the NL East Division, finish third place in the NL Division Leaders rankings, and then go on to blast through the playoffs and win the World Series.

This is, what I think, where I think most of those myths about baseball being a hard sport to bet on come from. I would also add, that the unpredictability and fluctuation in the form of a team can lend to some lengthy odds and great moneymaking opportunities.

Baseball Alternative Bets

Now that we have a little background about how this sport works, it is time to look at some of the most intriguing bets out there. These do not include standard baseball bets, or the following:

• Moneylines
• Runline
• Total Runs

These are the standard baseball bets that you can find at any good betting site. But we want to look for something a little extra, or out there. At more specialized baseball betting sites, such as bet365, you can find loads of game props and player bets. These can be used in straight bets, or you can combine them into parlays, same-game parlays, or sometimes even round-robin bets, if you need the extra coverage. To bet on alternative MLB baseball bets, click through to the best online sportsbook sites in the US.

Game Props

Under game props, you can find bets relating to a team’s performance, or team props, and bets that relate to specific aspects of each game, or game props. These bets are easy in theory, but if you want to be successful at them you will definitely have to do your homework. Fortunately, there is a lot of statistical information and game records to go on, especially if you are betting on day 2 or day 3 of a game series, though I will go a little bit more into that when I analyze each of the props and player bets.

Inning by Inning Runs

With this bet, you have to predict the number of runs that will be scored in each inning. It uses the over/under format, so you don’t need to pick the exact number of runs that will be scored, as that can be quite difficult. Instead, you have to bet on whether the number of runs scored will be over or under the betting line, that is provided by the sportsbook.

This is really not as easy as it seems, as the runs scored during an innings are highly variable. Just looking at this statistics model of baseball games from 1903-2023. On average, the expected runs per inning are the following:

• 72% chance of 0 runs
• 14% chance of 1 run
• 6% chance of 2 runs

But then you can have innings where a team scores 5 or 6 runs even, all it takes is a good homer hit by a Cleanup hitter or one of the RBI men, and the runs will pile up.

Total Home Runs

On the subject of homers, you can bet on the total number of home runs a team will score during a game. Now consider this piece of information from the 2023 season:

Atlanta Braves: 1.87 home runs per game

LA Dodgers: 1.52 home runs per game

Texas Rangers: 1.47 home runs per game

and at the bottom of the table:

Pittsburgh Penguins: 0.98 home runs per game

Washington Nationals: 0.93 home runs per game

Cleveland Guardians: 0.77 home runs per game

Of course, you can also look up head-to-head records and home/away records to help form your selections.

First Innings Score

Betting on the first innings is always a bit of a gamble. It is not easy at all, and whether you are betting on the first game in a series or not can play a crucial role in what you should bet. The betting market is pretty much the same as the Innings by Innings bet, only it relates specifically to the first innings of an MLB baseball game.

Will there be a Bottom of the Ninth?

This is a yes/no bet, simply on whether the game will go to the bottom of the ninth or not. If the away team has the lead after the home team has played the first half of the ninth, then the game ends then and there, without the away team playing a final batting innings. If the home team leads after the first of the ninth is played, then the away team must play the bottom of the ninth, which becomes the away team’s last opportunity to clinch a late win. A game that finishes without the bottom of the ninth is called after four and a half innings. If the bottom of the ninth is played, it is considered a 5-innings game.

Player Bets

There are loads of top baseball players that you can follow. Just off the top of my head, here are the top players

• Shohei Ohtani – LA Dodgers – Pitcher/Batter
• Mike Trout – LA Angels – Center Fielder
• Ronald Acuna Jr – Atlanta Braves – outfielder
• Aaron Judge – NY Yankees – Right Fielder
• Trea Turner – Philadelphia Phillies – Shortstop

Player props in baseball can be divided into batting props and pitching props. Pitcher props are reserved for the main pitcher, but you may also find bets on the secondary pitcher. With batter props, generally, sports betting sites offer bets on the first 3 or 4 batters, but on some specialist sites, you may find props for the whole lineup.

Player to Hit a Home Run

Will a player hit a home run? It is the equivalent of your favorite footballer scoring a hat trick or a basketball player scoring 50+ points in a game. It is not likely every game, but you never know when the stars will align and your player will smash a homer.

Players can also sometimes hit more than one home run in a game, but it is rare. Only 8 players have ever hit 4 home runs, the most possible, in a game. They are Mike Cameron, Rocky Colavito, Carlos Delgado, Scooter Gennett, Lou Gehrig, Bobby Lowe, J.D. Martinez, and Mike Schmidt.

Player Total Strikeouts

Strikeouts are when a pitcher throws three balls without the batter hitting them, thus striking out the batter. Strikeouts occur far more often than home runs, and you may find strikeout bets on pitchers with lines of 7.5 or 6.5. Which game you are betting on in a series can make all the difference in the world. Especially considering pitchers can tire out quickly, and by day 2 or 3 they will not have the same strength nor speed in their deliveries as they did on day 1. Doing your research about the secondary pitchers and how long the main pitchers last is crucial and can play an integral role in which way you decide to bet.

Player Runs Batted In (RBI) Total

RBIs are arguably more important than how many bases a batter runs. They are the runs that a batter can “bat in” during an innings. It is not relevant for the leadoff hitter or second batter, but more so for the cleanup hitters or the fifth and sixth hitters. They are not necessarily trying to hit home runs or advance to the second or third base, but rather hit Sacrifice Flies to allow the batters on the bases to progress and score runs. The sacrifice fly is basically when a batter hits the ball to the outfield or the foul territory, to allow their teammates to score runs.

Total Bases Prop

How many bases will a batter make during a game is a tough question to answer. The lines given for this over/under bet can vary depending on which player you bet on, but usually, it is around 2.5. Batters who hit a home run instantly pass all four bases. Putting aside home runs, you will need your batter to run to each base without getting caught by an outfield player. The number of bases run also depends on which batter you bet on. The first few batters have a far greater chance of making all four bases, whilst the ones at the end of the lineup who swing last will have a more challenging job of making more bases.

Head to Head Player Bets

If you can find head to head MLB player bets, then you are in for a wild ride. Betting on who will make more strikeouts, more RBIs, or make more bases is a challenging question, and solely depends on individual performance. Sometimes the key player of the favorite team to win will have a bad day, and be beaten in statistics by a player in the underdog team. There are some lengthy odds in this category and lots of amazing opportunities to hit big payouts. Just like with all the other bets, it really depends on which innings and which day you bet on. After the first two games, the difference in quality between an underdog and a favorite can level out, especially as both teams tire and are forced to field their younger and less experienced players.

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