The Houston Astros betting preview has consistently been improving throughout the offseason. With acquisitions at outfield and additions to the pitching rotation, The Astros are steadily improving their chances of breaking the third-longest title drought in baseball history. Their biggest issue still lies in finding a consistent first baseman, and their hopes lie in newbies Yulieski Gurriel and AJ Reed. Below, we’ve gone a little more in-depth as to what the key additions and departures have been for this Houston team, and what their betting odds are to win both their division and the World Series.
A MLB preview of the Houston Astros currently have the fourth best odds to win the 2017 World Series at +1200. This is good news for long-time fans of this Houston team, as they currently hold the third longest Title drought in baseball, behind the Indians and the Rangers. With one of the most talented rosters in the MLB right now, the Astros have definitely got a shot at making it all the way this year. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and George Springer are now being joined by Charlie Morton, Nori Aok, and Josh Reddick, while the team has seen very few departures. As long as they can actually deliver this season, then their 2017 World Series betting odds will probably just get better and better as the season goes on.
Astros’ Odds To Win The Division
While it’s still a little too early for the Astros’ odds to win the Division to be determined, their offseason acquisitions are definitely making a statement. While the Astros finished third in the AL West last season, they currently have more talent on their roster than Texas and Seattle, the two teams that finished ahead of them. Once the Division odds are released, don’t be surprised if the Astros are at the top of the boards.
Houston Astros Key Additions 2017
There have been several key additions to the 2017 Houston Astros roster. The team promised to be more vocal after they quietly allowed trade deadlines to pass without so much as a whisper. This offseason has produced some great pickups and the Houston Astros 2017 key additions will definitely help this team succeed.
Charlie Morton – The 33-year-old was signed to a 2-year contract. He’s coming off of a hamstring surgery that kept him from playing a majority of last season. The Astros are banking on Morton’s ability to fend off right-handers, as their left field line is a hitter’s paradise. His ability to hold righties to .234/.296/.336 over the span of 2011-2015 (when his career really took off) and his impressive curveball spin rate are going to be a great addition to this Houston pitching rotation.
Nori Aoki – Aoki was claimed off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners. He brings some consistency to the plate, with a .283/.349/.388 and helps cover the hole that Rasmus’ free agency leaves behind. Aoki, 35, has a career .286/.353/.387 with a .739 OPS.
Brian McCann – Picking up McCann in the wake of Castro’s free agency was one of the best offseason acquisitions the Astros made. The leftie brings some slugging ability on offense and ball control on defense. He has a career .266/.340/.459 and had 20 home runs last year.
Josh Reddick – The Astros outfield collapsed last season and the signing of Reddick to a four-year contract was the perfect acquisition for this team. Reddick’s .281/.345/.405 brings some nice consistency to the plate, but it’s his defensive skill that earned him the four-year, multi-million dollar contract with Houston.
Key Departures for Houston Astros in 2017
There haven’t been very many key departures for the Houston Astros in 2017. There weren’t very many players entering free agency, and those who did leave or got traded didn’t have a very big impact in 2016. Their biggest losses were Colby Rasmus, Jason Castro, and Pat Neshek. Neshek was traded for a player to be named later, but the Astros have a pretty deep pitching rotation that was recently bolstered by the signing of Charlie Morton, so there really isn’t an issue there. Castro signed a three-year contract with the Twins, but the acquisition of Brian McCann more than covers any deficit that loss may have caused. Rasmus remains an unsigned free agent. Overall, the Astros are one of those lucky teams that haven’t really had any key departures for 2017.
Astros Top Prospects
The Astros Farm system has been a little on the weaker side through the years. They do, however, have two top-50 prospects in their ranks, and are coming up with a good crop of top prospects for their upcoming seasons.
Francis Martes – the 21-year-old has performed well, flying through the farm system over the past 14 months. His fastball has improved to become a consistent 93-95 MPH, while his overall control has markedly improved as well. Martes’ ETA is 2017, so keep an eye on the rightie.
Kyle Tucker – Although he’s not projected to come out until 2019, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Kyle Tucker. He’s a top 50 prospect and an outstanding outfielder. Tucker is a power hitter with the potential for at least 20 HR’s a season once his frame fills out. He played center field in high school but his real talent is at right field. Fun fact – His brother, Preston, was a rookie left fielder with Houston last season.
CJ Riefenhauser – The prospect has pitched in 20 innings in the big leagues, but spent last season back down in AAA ball where he had an 8.2 K/9 ratio and a 4.71 ERA. He’ll need a little more time to work on those numbers – especially since he had a 6.30 ERA through his MLB appearances. Riefenhauser mostly adds depth and is a nice pickup.
Betting on the Houston Astros at an online sports betting site is easy, fun, and convenient. Instead of flying to Vegas every time you want to bet on baseball, you can just hop on your computer or smartphone and place as many wagers as you’d like. Betting on baseball at an online sportsbook is not only more convenient, though, it comes with so many extra perks. You can bet on the game while it’s in progress, you can earn bonuses that are automatically added to your deposit, and you can even bet while you’re at the game, thanks to mobile betting. There are so many more perks that come with betting on the Houston Astros at an online sportsbook.
What Are The Best Deposit Methods For Baseball Bettors?
Betting on baseball is a constant activity. With over a dozen games every day, you’ll need to keep your account funded at all times. In order to do this, you’ll want to choose a deposit method that’s quick, has high deposit limits, and is hassle free. Below we’ve come up with the three best deposit methods for baseball bettors.
Prepaid Cards – Prepaid cards are perhaps the easiest way to fund your account, especially if you’re a US resident. Credit Cards are usually the most common way people try to fund their account, but if you reside in the US, there’s a chance your credit card will get declined, because of the UIGEA banking regulations. If you use a prepaid card, however, it will not get declined. This is because the cards already have the funds on them, so a bank isn’t extending a line of credit. Therefore removing any risk of the UIGEA butting its head in where it doesn’t belong. Most credit cards have prepaid card equivalents – Visa, MasterCard, American Express – and when the book accepts the credit card, they accept the prepaid card. Using this method funds your accounts within minutes, and is perfect for last minute wagers.
Bitcoin – Bitcoin is another popular deposit method amongst online sports bettors. Bitcoin is accepted by every major sports betting site that accepts US players, and funds your account within moments of the request going through. Bitcoin is quickly becoming the number one way to deposit funds into an online sportsbook account. This is because Bitcoin is a type of digital currency that operates independently from any financial institution. Because of this, the users are the ones that determine the conversion rate – meaning that on any given day, Bitcoins are worth more or less what they were the last time you checked. It’s a little tricky, but the best sportsbooks have tutorials on how to use digital currency. Once you get the hang of them, you’ll see why they’re so popular. If you figure out the conversion rate and withdraw your money from the site at the right time, you might have more than you deposited.
Checks/Money Orders – While Checks and money orders may not be the fastest way to fund your account, they are the most reliable. Checks or money orders sent in the mail come with a tracking number, so that you know where they are at all times. They take as many as 3-5 business days to process, so if you wanted to bet on baseball the same day, this isn’t really the best method for you. But, if you plan ahead, checks and money orders are great because they have much higher deposit limits. So, they take a little longer to fund your account, but once they are processed, you have much more money in your account to play with.
How Do I Collect The Deposit Bonuses?
Deposit bonuses are just another of the great perks that come with betting on baseball. Usually, they match a certain percentage of the amount that you are depositing into your account so that you get some extra money to wager with. All you have to do to gain the deposit bonus is use the promo code that is associated with the promotion you want to use.
Deposit bonuses come with rollover requirements attached. That is, you have to bet the total amount of your deposit plus the total of the bonus a set amount of times (usually five or six) before you are able to withdraw any of it. Usually, this means that a bonus could be too good to be true. But in the case of betting on baseball, the rollover actually works in your favor. Because of the amount of games that are played every day in the six-month season, it can be extremely easy to reach the play-through requirements.
Learning how to read baseball odds is simpler than you think. Once you know what all of the numbers stand for and what the symbols mean, you’ll be on your way to betting on baseball like a pro. The most common wager in baseball is the moneyline, and it is almost always presented in American odds. So, when you see a team that has a +150 next to their name at an online sportsbook, you need to be aware of two things. The (+) symbol means that they are the underdog. Because they are the underdog, they have less of a chance to win. So when you bet on them, the risk is higher, which means the payout will be higher. That’s what the number denotes – how much you win, based on a $100 wager. So if you were to bet $100 on the underdog, and they won, then you would win $150.
It’s the opposite for the favorite. The favorite will have a (-) next to its numbers. So when you see a team with -140 odds, that means they are favored to win. The number shows how much you would have to bet to break even. In this case, you would have to bet $140 to make $100. The reason you bet more to make less is because they are predicted to win anyways, so it’s less risky than betting on the underdog. No matter whether you’re reading moneylines, runlines, or totals, the (-) always denotes the favorite, while the (+) always represents the dog. The number will always be what you have to pay or what you’re getting paid.
There are so many different wager types that you can make while betting on baseball. The numerous baseball wager types available at online sports betting sites give you the chance to place a different bet on each game, so that you never get bored! From a straight moneyline bet to a ten-team open parlay card, there are tons of different ways you can bet on baseball.
One of the most popular baseball wager types is the first five innings bet. This bet is like a shortened version of a straight bet – you wager on who will have more runs at the end of the first five innings or the first “half” of baseball. It’s a more popular wager type than a moneyline bet though because you only have to rely on the starting pitcher, rather than betting on the strength of pitching rotation. There’s also live betting, which gives you the chance to bet on half innings and single innings while the game is in progress. Sportsbooks that provide this baseball wager type usually list out the games that are eligible for live bets.
Baseball betting trends are a really important component to successfully betting on baseball. It’s why we always include an understanding baseball betting trends section in our betting previews pages. Knowing how a team has been doing against the spread and straight up is important, because it reduces the risks you take while gambling. And every professional bettor knows, cutting out as much risk as possible just makes it that much more likely that you’ll be able to win you wager.
The Best Sports Betting Site For Betting On Baseball
Baseball has one of the longest seasons in professional sports. Because of this, you’ll be spending quite a bit of time at an online sports betting site. So it’s important to find the right book for you. If you’re looking for a reliable book with great features, speedy payouts, plentiful promotions, excellent customer service, and high wager limits, then look no further than SportsBetting.ag. This book has been operational for nearly 2 decades and has become one of the top online sports betting sites available to US players. SportsBetting is located in Panama City, Panama, where it is licensed and regulated by the Panamanian Gaming Commission. Their strict security and quality standards ensure that your experience will be top of the line, every time you log on.
When depositing with Sportsbetting, you will have your choice of sending a check or money order in the mail, using your credit or debit card, or even trying out a digital currency. Once you’ve chosen the form of payment you’d like to make, try adding one of the bonus promo codes to your deposit to get a little extra money added to your account. SportsBetting’s welcome bonus will match 50% of your initial deposit, while their lifetime guarantee bonus matches 25% of every subsequent deposit you make throughout your time with the book. SportBetting is a great place to get the biggest bang for your buck. Once you’ve chosen your deposit bonus, be sure to add on one of the free play promotions they have. For baseball betting, this book offers the best MLB dime lines around, going all the way up to -194.
Once you’ve added your bonuses, you can get straight to the fun part – betting on baseball. Sportsbetting has all of the popular baseball wager types, including moneylines, first five innings, and parlay cards. They also offer a special feature called live betting. Here, you can bet on the game while it’s in progress – pitch counts through a half inning, runs through a single inning, there’s no limit to what you can do at SportsBetting.ag. And once you’ve won your wager, they’ve got nearly a dozen withdrawal methods, so you can take your pick. They’re speedy, reliable, and once a month, have their fees waived. This book has everything a baseball bettor could possibly want. Head on over to check them out now!