Major League Baseball Teams
Major League Baseball is rising in the spring with its regular season play. While the rest of the three major leagues in the United States are either out of season or finishing with final games. When there isn’t much going on, MLB saves the day with a full lineup of games, and that’s a great reason for new betting fans to follow baseball.
Understanding the betting lines better is easier when you know the names of the the MLB teams; especially if you are looking to bet on their games. Not only the Yankees or Red Sox, but also the names of the players and their top rivals. This information will put bettors in a place to take advantage of the different MLB prop bets available in every betting site. Betting on the MLB is a fun, steady and a unique way to make some money. Those who decide to follow baseball will find a buffet of MLB odds every day.
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MLB League Structure: American League
Until 2018, the American League had won 66 of the 104 World Series matchups against the National League. The team with the most AL title are the New York Yankees, who have won the Pennants 40 times, followed by the Oakland A’s with 15 and the Boston Red Sox with 14. The American League technically was born in 1885 as the Western League. In 1894, it evolved to what it’s known now, officially founded in Wisconsin, Milwaukee. The one big difference from the NL is the AL uses a designated hitter. The rule sustains a batter will replace the pitcher in the batting order, but won’t be a part of the defensive play.
The two most prominent franchises in the American League are the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Between the two are involved in the biggest rivalry inside the Majors. Both Boston and New York are part of the classic eight teams that started the league.
The most significant player in the American League is the outfield Mike Trout from the Angels. Trout is recognized as the best player in the entire Majors. Right behind him are the two giants from the Yankees. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, built to hit Home Runs daily.
Rivarly in the American League
When George Herman “Babe” Ruth was traded from Boston to New York, a rivalry was born. Babe Ruth is recognized as one of the most prolific hitters ever to live. His trade also has attached the “Curse of Bambino” myth. It was a superstition that surrounded the Red Sox failing to win the World Series for 86 years. It was finally broken in 2004. Tampa Bay, Seattle, and Texas are the only three teams inside the American League, which has never won the World Series. The other 12 teams in the AL have won it at least once.
American League Divisions and Teams
The American League is composed by AL East, AL Central, and AL West. It is divided into three divisions of five teams each:
MLB Team | Division | 2018 Season Record | World Series Apps |
---|---|---|---|
New York Yankees | AL East | 100-62 | 40 |
Boston Red Sox | AL East | 108-54 | 13 |
Toronto Blue Jays | AL East | 73-89 | 2 |
Baltimore Orioles | AL East | 47-115 | 7 |
Tampa Bay Rays | AL East | 90-72 | 1 |
Minnesota Twins | AL Central | 78-84 | 6 |
Cleveland Indians | AL Central | 91-71 | 6 |
Detroit Tigers | AL Central | 64-98 | 11 |
Chicago White Sox | AL Central | 62-100 | 5 |
Kansas City Royals | AL Central | 58-104 | 4 |
Seattle Mariners | AL West | 89-73 | 0 |
Houston Astros | AL West | 103-59 | 2 |
Texas Rangers | AL West | 67-95 | 2 |
Oakland Athletics | AL West | 97-65 | 14 |
Los Angeles Angels | AL West | 80-82 | 1 |
MLB League Structure: National League
The National League was founded on February 2, 1876, with the idea to replace the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. The NL is 25 years older than the American League but has won only 38 of the 104 World Series played. The two teams with most National League championships are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants with 23 each. Los Angeles has won the last two, but both times lost the World Series.
The Phillies’ right fielder Bryce Harper and the Padres’ third baseman Manny Machado are the two biggest stars in the National League. Both recently signed a $300-Million contract with their respective ball clubs.
There are four teams in the National League which haven’t won the World Series, those being the Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, and the Washington Nationals. There are also several good rivalries inside the American League. The Dodgers vs. the Giants might be the biggest of all as they are divisional rivals with the most NL pennants.
NAtional League Divisions and Teams
The NL is also divided into three divisions of five teams each:
MLB Team | Division | 2018 Season Record | World Series Apps |
---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia Phillies | NL East | 80-82 | 7 |
New York Mets | NL East | 77-85 | 5 |
Atlanta Braves | NL East | 90-72 | 9 |
Washington Nationals | NL East | 82-80 | 0 |
Miami Marlins | NL East | 63-98 | 2 |
St. Louis Cardinals | NL Central | 88-74 | 19 |
Milwaukee Brewers | NL Central | 96-67 | 1 |
Chicago Cubs | NL Central | 95-68 | 11 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | NL Central | 82-79 | 7 |
Cincinnati Reds | NL Central | 67-95 | 9 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | NL West | 92-71 | 20 |
San Diego Padres | NL West | 66-96 | 2 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | NL West | 82-80 | 1 |
Colorado Rockies | NL West | 91-72 | 1 |
San Francisco Giants | NL West | 73-89 | 20 |
MLB World Series
The World Series is often referred to as the Fall Classic and is the annual meeting between the American League champion and the National League champion. The winner is considered the ultimate champion of Major League Baseball and is determined in a best-of-seven playoff series.
The first ever World Series in 1903 was played between Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a best of nine series that won Boston 5-3. In 1949, the World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers was the first ever to be played during the day and had its conclusion under lights. In 1971, the Pirates and the Orioles played the first-ever Fall Classic during night time.
World Series is the most bet event in baseball
The World Series is the most bet event in baseball. After weeks of postseason baseball, the Fall classic will end a long season. It is also the series the diehard fans are waiting for, but it also welcomes the casual fans.To bet on the World Series, it means placing a bet on any of the two best teams inside the Majors. The drama and the high quality of the players are guaranteed.
Also, it is an excellent opportunity to place money lines and game total bets. But also to take advantage of the run lines and the most incredible prop bets in baseball. Overall, not betting on baseball during the World Series is a huge missed opportunity. Back in 2016, it was the first time over $1 Billion was bet in Nevada on regulated sportsbooks during the World Series. That amount is easily beaten by online sportsbooks. Betting online during the World Series is easier and has a lot of more options available for the customers.
MLB Baseball Teams
Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees
New York Mets
Oakland Athletics
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals
Key Baseball Player Positions
There are nine positions in baseball, and all are on the field when playing defense. A team with a good defense could go far in the playoffs and get closer to the World Series. The cool thing about baseball is while the batting lineup is essential, a solid bullpen remains as the key to success in the postseason. Home runs sell tickets, great pitching lineups win championships.
Pitcher
The pitcher is the player who throws the baseball and perhaps is the most critical position in baseball. Having a good starting pitcher could guarantee wins for his team. By keeping the opposing team at low scoring runs, his offense will have an easier task. Bettors can find many props bets around the pitchers. For example, how many strikeouts will he throw? How many innings will he last, or home runs will the pitcher give up.
There are three different pitchers: the starters, the relievers, and the closer. The starting pitcher will go several innings as he opens the game. The relievers will take the mound on any given situation the manager feels like it’s worth putting on the field. And the closer will go out in the last three or six outs, depending on the situation; his job is to close out the game.
Catcher
The catcher is the player in crouches behind home plate. He will send the signals to the pitcher on the plays he should throw against any particular player at bat. The position is one of the most cerebral in baseball, and that’s why several managers played catcher in their heydays. Mike Scioscia, Joe Girardi, and Joe Torre.
First baseman
The first baseman is the player defending the first of four stations on a baseball diamond. To many, the position should be played by a tall player with flexibility and quick reflexes. Bettors can find props bets about the first baseman along the lines of errors and double-play situations.
Second baseman
The second baseman plays between second and first base. For defensive purposes the position player ideally will have quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly. Double-play situations and errors can also be found in different prop bets attached to the second baseman.
Shortstop
The shortstop plays the defensive position between second and third base. It is considered the most demanding defensive job because more hit balls go to the shortstop than to any other position.
Outfielders
There are three outfielders covering most of the green area outside the diamond; the left outfielder, the right one and the center field. All three outfielders need to have speed, instincts, and quickness to defend the ball. But also needs a big arm to throw hard to the bases or even at home plate.
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Professional Baseball Game Rules
The idea of a baseball game is to score more runs than the opponent throughout 9 innings. To score a run, a batter must hit the ball with the bat into the designated fielding area and get around the 4 bases. Pitchers will try to avoid batters get on base by recording three strikes per at-bat. A strike is given when a batter swings for a ball and misses it. The batter can’t avoid swinging the bat, but if it’s within a strike zone area a strike is given.
If four pitches miss the strike zone, the batter is allowed to go to first base, and then another hitter will go on with the strike count at zero. There are other three ways to get outs by the defensive side. First, by forcing out a batter, which means the ball gets to the first base before the player. With a fly out; this is when the ball is caught in the air. And last, by the tags out, which means a defensive player with the ball tags the batter as he’s running to the base.
Generalities of Baseball
• Each team lines up nine players. When a player is substituted, it cannot go back in the game
• When a batting order is selected it can’t be changed
• If the game is a tie after 9 innings, then an extra inning will play until we find a winner
• If the team batting 2nd in the bottom of the 9th inning is winning then they do not need to complete the inning
How the MLB Season is played
Each team in the Major League Baseball plays 162 games during the regular season over approximately six months for a total of 2,430 games. The regular season starts in late March, and it ends in early October. During the regular season, teams will play series mostly of three games and in some cases four. There are 24 divisional series, 20 inter-divisional series and 8 inter-league series per team.
The Major League Baseball postseason is playing from mid-October to its conclusion, sometimes in early November. The MLB playoffs start with a one-game wild-card playoff between two wild-card teams. The next round is the division series between a wild-card winner and the winner of each division. The winners will meet in the Championship series to get the Pennants for each League. Finally, the American League winner and the National League winner will clash in World Series to find out who is the best team in Major League Baseball.
MLB History
Major League Baseball is the oldest of the four major sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The league also oversees Minor League Baseball, which has 256 teams affiliated with the Major League ball clubs. Technically, the league started back in 1869 in Cincinnati, and that’s why is considered the oldest.
The Early Days Of The League
From 1876 to 1901, the National League and the American League were two separated entities. Both leagues cooperated with each other, but it was until 2000 when they legally merged into a single MLB organization. The first professional teams in baseball came from Cincinnati in 1869. Their players got paid and traded. Several myths said there were moves like that under the table before, but it was not considered professional.
The era from the 1900s until 1920 is considered the dead-ball period because of the lack of home runs in the games. Those games were dominated by pitchers with low-scoring results. One of the pitchers that dominated the era was CY Young from the Boston Red Sox. That’s the reason at the end of each year the best pitchers in Major League Baseball receive the Cy Young award.
During that era purchasing a ball had a bigger cost that owners wanted to pay for. Fans were expected to throw back the foul balls so the teams could keep playing. The pitchers could also manipulate the ball through the use of the spitball. During the 1919 World Series came the first ever allegations of game fixing, attached to eight players of the Chicago White Sox. The rumors said they lost the World Series intentionally in exchange for a ring that was worth more than $100K. The players we all acquitted but permanently banned from Major League Baseball. The event is known to this date as the Black Sock scandal.
During World War II, several of the players in the MLB had to leave to do military service. A guy like Peter Gray who had just one arm could play outfielder because the league had a shortage of players. But even with that problem, there wasn’t an African American player in the MLB. The color barrier was broken when the GM of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey, selected Jackie Robinson from a list of potential players in the Negro League.
On April 15, 1947, Robinson debuted in the Majors at the Ebbets Field as part of the National League. Three months later Larry Doby became the first African-American player to play for an American League team. He made his debut with the Cleveland Indians.
MLB League Growth
With the racial barrier in the past, Major League Baseball made several moves to expand the league everywhere in the United States. From 1903 to 1953 each league had eight teams from ten different cities. New York City had three teams and Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St. Louis each had two squads.
In the 70s teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, the Seattle Mariners, and the Kansas City Royals were added. The last ones to get into the MLB with their latest expansion to 30 teams were the Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, and Colorado Rockies. All arrived in the 90s.
Current MLB, Its Future, and Chances for Baseball Betting
Major League Baseball currently has 30 well-established teams in the league and living the sweet days of great TV deals. Many of the biggest names in the league have signed ridiculous contracts of more than ten years and a boatload of money. The latest example is the contract of center folder Mike Trout with the Angels. Trout signed a 12-year, $426 Million deal that made him the richest contract in the history of North American sports.
The MLB is well established as the league that pays its best players the most. The league is also trying to welcome sports betting into the mainstream. Last season Major League Baseball signed a deal with MGM Resorts International. It was the first official gaming and entertainment partner of the MLB.
Several teams have deals with Draftkings but for daily fantasy sports, not directly to promote the Draftking sportsbooks. But that could and most likely will change soon. For example, the state of Pennsylvania has legal sports gambling. Any of the sportsbooks in town can put in place a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. If Massachusetts approves sports betting, the Boston Red Sox can aim for something similar.
Major League has an open mind for fans to experience sports betting; noted by the deal with MGM. The steps towards a free market have been steady more than slow. The league is working in the right direction.
Is It legal To Bet On The MLB?
Just like the NBA and the NHL, Major League Baseball is taking a step forward towards the legalization of sports betting all across the United the States. The MLB hasn’t been shy about the fact that sports gambling is getting legalized in several states, and they are trying to be proactive embracing change.
MLB stroke a deal with MGM Resorts International back in November, that made MGM the league’s official partner. This gives the betting company access to league logos and official data for use in sports betting operations. MGM will also be the only sportsbook operator with a few “enhanced statistics” provided by the MLB.
Several other states are making substantial progress to the legalization of sports gambling. Arkansas will be the next to be added to the list in the next few months, and right behind it will be New York. NY is a curious case because they had a law in 2013 that allows fans to bet on sports. It was banned in 2018 and reintroduced in 2019.
38 of the 50 states close to sports gambling legalization
Overall, at least 38 of the 50 states of the United States of America have either file paperwork to start the motion of the sports gambling legalization or have engaged in talks to allow sports betting. In the near future, the sports betting legalization will be an afterthought. Most of the states will soon allow fans and customers to enjoy sports while having a bet on the side.
But even if you live in a state where sports gambling haven’t gone fully legal, there is nothing to stop you from betting on baseball. There are a ton of sports betting sites online where people wager every day. It’s actually the simpler and most efficient way to place a bet on the MLB, or any other sport for that matter.
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