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  Top 10 2024 second-half Major League Baseball prop bets15 July 2024
As non-All-Stars get their rest and All-Stars look to continue their strong seasons, teams will start making some moves ahead of the 30 July trade deadline. With that said, let’s take a look at some bets to consider as we near the chaos of multiple pennant races. All odds provided by bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook 10. Home Run Derby winner Later tonight, eight players will swing it out to see who will be crowned the home run champ. One player who stands out to me from the rest of the field is Pete Alonso (+325). Alonso is no stranger to this event as he is a 2x champion (2019 and 2021). If you have watched him participate in those years, he took the Home Run Derby extremely seriously and gave it 100%. The Mets first baseman has 19 long balls on the season which is only tied for 14th in the majors, but when he gets hot in a competition like this, he is the man to beat.
9. Giants to miss playoffs With three Wild Card spots up for grabs in each league, both the AL and NL are going to see tight races down the stretch. The San Francisco Giants are in the mix right now for the National League Wild Card sitting four games back of that final playoff spot. Scoring runs hasn’t been an issue for the Giants, it has been preventing their opposition from scoring which has led to a -27 run differential to this point in the season. If they want to make a push, they will have to improve that pitching staff to right the ship in that category. However, the bigger issues lies in the fact that there are currently six teams ahead of them in the NL Wild Card race, two of them being in their own division with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres. It is going to be tough for the Giants to manage to jump enough teams to sneak into the playoffs so take the Giants -400 to miss the playoffs. 8. AL Central Division With the Astros, Yankees and Orioles all in the AL, you probably didn’t guess that the Cleveland Guardians would hold the best record in the American League, but they do by half a game. The Guardians have allowed the second-fewest runs in the AL behind the Seattle Mariners. This has helped the team create a 4.5-game lead in the Central Division over the Minnesota Twins. The 30-11 home record has been nothing short of impressive out of the Guardians. Luckily for Cleveland, despite having a four-game road series against Minnesota, they have another four-game home series against them toward the end of the season. With a near five-game advantage already over second-place Minnesota, Cleveland (-175) could really start to expand the gap and take full control to win the division. 7. NL MVP After signing the largest contract is MLB history, being affected by a gambling conspiracy, winning the NL MVP would just add to what has been a wild year for Shohei Ohtani (-350). The Los Angeles Dodgers’ power hitter really is more than just that. The guy can fly on the base paths, he can hit for home runs, but also drive the ball the other way and bring runs across the plate while stretching for extra bases. This is all while he is unable to pitch due to injury by the way. If he was able to take the mound, the MVP would be as good as set. Ohtani is second in the majors in home runs (29), fourth in batting average (.316) and sixth in RBIs (69). As long as the designated hitter from Japan stays healthy to step up to the plate, even a slight decline in performance should lead him to the hardware. 6. Houston Astros to make playoffs In recent years, it was almost understood that the Houston Astros would be in the playoffs, but it is a little different this year. Houston didn’t get off to a good start to the season at all and had work to do to get back to where the team wanted to be and they are starting to get there. The Astros are 3.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot but the more likely way they will get into the playoffs is by winning the AL West Division. The Mariners currently sit in first place in the AL West but they have seen their lead dwindle down to just one game over the Astros. With the trade deadline coming up, don’t be surprised to see Houston become buyers and go after a power hitter like Alonso to help their batting order boost the team ahead of the Mariners come late September. This team still has players that know how to win in big moments and expect more of that to come this season in order for the Astros (-160) to get into the playoffs. 5. Red Sox to make playoffs In May, if you asked any Red Sox fan if they think Boston will make the playoffs, probably 95% would have told you there is no way. Well, the season turned on its head for Boston since that time because they are a season-high 11 games over .500 and hold the third and final Wild Card spot at the moment. Despite injuries to who many thought would be major contributors, like Tristan Casas, Trevor Story and Garrett Whitlock, it has been an all-hands-on-deck effort from the rest of the roster. The trade deadline will be a big factor for the Red Sox as they will most likely look to add another right-handed batter and a starting pitcher to help round out the rotation. If they are able to acquire those two pieces without giving up too much, the Red Sox could be a team that not many want to see in October if this hot streak continues for much longer. Take the Red Sox at +110 to make the playoffs.
4. AL West Division We already discussed it briefly, but the AL West is going to be a tight race until the end. The Mariners and Astros (+110) will square off in six more games against each other, three at home for each team. In fact, the second half of the season will begin with a three-game set in Seattle as Houston looks to win that series and take a lead on the division. One benefit to the schedule for Houston is that their final series of the regular season is against the Cleveland Guardians. With them already up 4.5 games in their division, they could potentially be locked into their playoff spot before that series starts and you may see some players resting for Cleveland, giving Houston a much better chance of winning that series which could be the difference. 3. National League winner If you look at the Los Angeles Dodgers roster, you think they are comfortably in first place, well they are in their division but not the National League. It is the Philadelphia Phillies (+200) who have a 6.5-game lead over the Dodgers for top seed in the NL. It is hard to really find a major weakens in this Phillies team. Their lineup one through nine can hit and produce runs, their pitching staff has been impressive all season and that is why they hold an MLB-best +110 run differential. They win games, it is simple as that. This team has what it takes to take down the Dodgers in a seven-game series and be the one to come out of the NL to advance to the World Series.
2. AL East Division It has really been a two-horse race for most of the season between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees for the top spot in the AL East. But as of late, the Red Sox have entered the picture being only 4.5 back. While they are on a roll, the Red Sox would have to play incredible baseball in the second half of the season, keeping their hot streak going and having some downfall from both the Yankees and Orioles to claim the division. Currently, as we head into the break, Baltimore holds a slight one-game lead over New York. Baltimore also is winning the season series 6-4 over New York with one final three-game series left between the two and that will be in the Bronx where the Orioles are 2-1 on the season. It will most likely be a back-and-forth race between these two heavy hitters and I predict Baltimore (-105) squeaking out the AL East title by less than two games. 1. Home run leader We talked about Ohtani being second in baseball with 29 homer runs. Well he is chasing Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees who has already blasted 34 long balls, which has helped him reach a league-best 85 RBIs as well. The Yankees outfielder just oozes strength and power from his swing and it is a smooth swing. It is difficult to climb the ladder on him and get a high fastball by him because of his 6’7” frame but it is also dangerous to try to hit the lower half of the strike zone because of his swing angle and long reach. He is capable of pulling the ball 450+ feet, but also has the power to take an outside pitch the other way and over the wall, especially with the short right field at Yankee Stadium. The man has just shown no signs of slowing down when it comes to launching home runs so it will be a big challenge for anyone to catch Aaron Judge (-400) for the most home runs this season. — New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 13, 2024
Top 10 2024 second-half Major League Baseball prop bets
is republished from Online.CasinoCity.com.
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