Los Angeles had a rough season last year so the Angels betting preview for 2017 begins with them working to get back into playoff contention. The Angels have the best player in baseball in Mike Trout but he needs some help around him. Albert Pujols had a great year last season but he will be 37 in January and that age is bound to affect his play soon. LA is obviously a more ideal place to live for potential free agents so look for them to be able to pull in a couple of solid names.
The Los Angeles Angels World Series odds for the 2017 season aren’t very good at the moment. On the top sportsbooks like Bovada and BetOnline, their odds to win are +7500 and +8000 respectively, which is right at the bottom of the league. They do have the reigning MVP on their team in Mike Trout, so maybe they can attract some other players to help him out during the offseason. Their odds should improve if they can add some free agent talent.
Angels Odds to Win the AL West
Los Angeles finished second to last in the AL West in 2016 so there isn’t a lot of hype surrounding the Angels odds to win the AL West in 2017. Mike Trout had another outstanding year and collected his second MVP trophy but his team was still only able to tally 74 wins, which was the fourth-fewest in the American League. Though the exact odds have yet to be posted on the big sportsbooks, their World Series odds are less than all of their divisional rival except for the A’s.
Angels Key Additions and Departures
One of the first key additions for the Angels this offseason was in the form of a trade with the Washington Nationals for infielder Danny Espinosa. The Angels traded away two pitching prospects but helped add competition to an infield that was covered by multiple players throughout the Angels 2016 season. Espinosa was tenth among shortstop in DWAR (Defensive Wins Above Replacement) last season but will likely compete to play second.
As far as key departures for the Angels, as of right now they have a whopping five pitchers pending free agency. Right now Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Tim Lincecum, and Jhoulys Chacin are all without a deal offered to them by the Angels. This could be an interesting situation because the Angels are in the market to revamp their pitching rotation after they finished last in strikeouts in 2016. They could let the majority of these guys walk to make room for other guys.
Angels Farm Prospects to Look Out For in 2017
The Angels farm system is one the weaker side but there are some interesting prospects to highlight for the 2017 season. The team’s top prospect is first baseman Matt Thaiss, who was their first round pick in 2016. He played for their single A club, the Burlington Bees, in 2016 and though he isn’t projected to get called up until 2019, but he is certainly worth noting. Perhaps a more realistic option to get called up in 2017 is Taylor Ward, who would be more of a need move than anything else. The right-handed catcher is a former first round pick as well and could be a better option than the struggling Carlos Perez.
The LA Angels Prospects
| Player | Position | ETA | Age | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Thaiss | 1B | 2019 | 21 | 6 Foot |
| Jahmai Jones | OF | 2019 | 19 | 6 Foot |
| Taylor Ward | C | 2018 | 23 | 6 Foot 1 |
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Moneylines: These are probably the easiest bets to place when wagering on baseball. You simply pick a game and bet on which team will win. That’s it. Nothing complicated at all, which is why it’s the most popular.
Over/Unders: Also known as Total bets, over/unders are very simple for players to understand. All you have to do is pick whether or not the two teams involved in the bet combine to score over or under the total amount given on the betting line.
Runlines: These assign a point spread to each team of 1.5, the underdog being +1.5 and the favorite or the chalk being -1.5. These work just like point spreads but specific to baseball and make betting on the underdog more beneficial.
Parlays: Wagers in the parlay format allow players to group more than one bet together. Your payout increases the more teams you bet on, but keep in mind that you have to win each bet to get said payout. If you put together a four-team parlay and the first three win but the last one loses, you win nothing.
Proposition: Proposition bets, or Prop bets as they are more commonly called, are wagers that are more focused on individual accomplishments and single team accomplishments that don’t have to do with the outcome of the game.
First Five Innings: This is a wager that is strictly used for baseball betting lines and has become very popular among sportsbook customers. It essentially allows you to put your money on the outcome of the game after the first five innings, thus only making the bettor rely on the starting pitcher and doesn’t put the outcome of the game in the reliever’s hands.
All MLB fans have at least a base knowledge of stats associated with their favorite players and teams but if you are putting your money on the line you should probably take a more in-depth look at the numbers surrounding your bet. Bill James came up with a system to track this called Sabermetrics which calculate just about everything that players can do on a baseball field. Some examples of these stats are a player's WAR which determines the Wins Above Replacement differential, the WHIP of a pitcher is a number of walks and hits per innings pitched, and WRC calculated the weighted runs created by a batter. At MLBPreview.com we know stats can help players decide upon the best betting lines available and can make the difference between winning and losing.
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