Betting: Will Judge continue to lead in HR?
Ariel Epstein & Minty Bets review some of their preseason MLB futures bets and determine which bets they would start, bench or cut.
Video Transcript
MINTY BETS: I'm Minty Bets here with Ariel Epstein. And this is a new segment called Start, Bench, Cut. Prior to the MLB season, we gave you our favorite future picks. And now we're reviewing them to see which bets we're still strong on, which bets we want to keep in our back pocket, and which bets we just want to move on from. So, Ariel, who are you starting? Which bet are you still high on?
ARIEL EPSTEIN: Minty, the bet that I'm going to start is for the Angels' MVP, Mike Trout to be the home run leader by the end of the season. Trout has 21 home runs. The second most in the league is Houston's Yordan Alvarez with 22. Then Aaron Judge, the Yankees' outfielder, he has 27.
He is far into the lead, which is I know where you're going to be going with this afterwards. However, Mike Trout is still very high on the list. And his division out there in the American League West is a good division for him to hit some bombs off of throughout the rest of the season. Give me Mike Trout to be the home run leader by the end of the year.
MINTY BETS: All right, kind of like your pick, I'm sticking with Aaron Judge as the home run leader at 13 to one. Now, I'm loving this bet because, as you mentioned, he's the current home run leader with 27 homers, which is five more than the next guy. All we need is Aaron Judge to stay healthy, stay consistent, and the Yankees to pay him what he's worth. So, Ariel, who are you benching?
ARIEL EPSTEIN: The bet that I'm benching is the bet that I still feel has a chance. That's the Philadelphia Phillies' starter Zack Wheeler to win National League Cy Young. Across the National League, Wheeler still is top 10 in strikeouts, top 10 in ERA. That ERA is still below a three. Hopefully it gets closer to a two instead of in the high twos. However, Wheeler, with the Phillies, still has a shot at not only getting this National League Cy Young, also helping his Philadelphia Phillies team to maybe make a run for a playoff push in the second half of the year just like they did last year.
MINTY BETS: All right, the bet that I am benching will be Freddie Freeman to win the NL MVP. I got him at 12 to one. And he's currently 30 to one. But out of all the players in the entire league, he currently ranks 16th in batting average and OPS. And that's pretty important because he plays in a tough division on a good team where just about every single player shines. So I still like Freddie Freeman as NL MVP and 30 to one is pretty tempting. Now, Ariel, which bet are you cutting?
ARIEL EPSTEIN: I'm cutting the Toronto Blue Jays' shortstop Bo Bichette to win the American League MVP. This isn't happening. The odds are already at 125 to one. The reason I liked Bichette at the beginning of the year was because he's a contact hitter.
He was up there in hits last season in the American League as one of the best hitters in addition to the fact that the Toronto Blue Jays were supposed to be in contention for the American League East. The Toronto Blue Jays are not in contention for the American League East. They are 12 and 1/2 games back of the New York Yankees.
Bichette's not even on the top 25 list for hitters in the American League this year. I am cutting this bet. No more. Throw it in the garbage, Bo Bichette American League MVP.
MINTY BETS: All right, lastly, I'm cutting Kevin Gausman as the AL Cy Young winner. Now, I got him at 20 to one. He's still 20 to one, so it gives me a sliver of hope. But things aren't looking too good for him this season.
He's got an ERA of 3.19. And he's got one of the highest opponent batting averages with runners in scoring position. He's had some good games but just not enough for me to feel confident backing him. So I'm ripping up this ticket and cutting him.
To recap how we feel about our futures, Ariel is starting Mike Trout as a home run leader, benching Zack Wheeler as the NL Cy Young, and cutting Bo Bichette as the AL MVP. I'm starting Aaron Judge as the home run leader, benching Freddie Freeman as the NL MVP, and cutting Kevin Gausman as the AL Cy Young winner. Bet $10 and win $200 in free bets by signing up at betmgm.com/yahoovip. New customers only. Must be 21 and older. Terms apply.