The St. Louis Cardinals 2017 betting preview might be slightly altered from last season because of the team’s approach being slightly altered this season. Instead of going all in with sluggers, the team will try to be more balanced during the 2017 season. A 86-76 record left them one game out of the playoffs. In order for the team to accomplish its stated goal of being more competitive in the division, their defensive woes must be addressed.
Sure the team was the third-highest scoring team in the National League, but they were not nearly as successful in the field. The team’s style has always been hit big and let the chips fall where they may. Last year it turned into one of the worst defensive units in team history. The team is prepared to move in a different direction going forward.
This 2017 betting preview for the St. Louis Cardinals will explain what those changes are and how they will affect the odds of the team. The list of factors that will be discussed includes the team’s current World Series betting odds, key additions and subtractions, and the betting trends that affect the Cards specifically. After reading this preview, players should have a clearer understanding of what types of bets on St. Louis are wise and where they can go to place a wager.
There are an eclectic group of lines for this team considering no one knows how effective their style switch will be. The St. Louis Cardinals 2017 World Series betting odds are different on the three major online sports betting sites that we use. Their best odds come from BetOnline, who has them listed at +1400. 5Dimes is next, giving them +1800 odds while Bovada has them at +2500.
The odds clearly show that there is a level of disagreement between the bookmaking sites, especially Bovada. But, the one common theme is that the team is either in sole possession or tied for the eighth best odds to win it all on all three sites. All things considered, for a team that didn’t make the playoffs last year, being in the top 10 ain’t too shabby.
How Are The Cards Odds To Win The 2017 NL Central?
Challenging Chicago for the NL Central crown will be a hurdle for any team. However, St. Louis is the team best equipped to do it because of the explosive nature of the team’s offense. The team’s fielding is what will hinder them, though. The Cards ranked 24th in the league in UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating), a statistical metric for fielding. The Cardinals odds to win the 2017 National League Central Division have yet to be posted, but they rank second in the division in World Series betting odds. Expect them to have a similar rating when the lines are released.
Who Were The Key Additions For The Cardinals?
Dexter Fowler is the only notable name to be signed by the club this offseason. Fowler, who has spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Cubs, had 126 hits and 13 stolen bases last year. While he wouldn’t be considered an elite defender, he should be an upgrade over Matt Holliday. Fowler has improved his defense by setting up deeper in the outfield and it paid off with his best fielding season since 2008. He will also add championship experience to the 2017 Cards locker room.
His best attribute to contribute to the St. Louis Cardinals 2017 team is his base running. He isn’t the base thief he once was but is still an above-average baserunner. His addition to Randal Grinchuk and Kolten Wong as baserunners give the Cards a pretty dynamic trio. It’s not a mass shift to a new identity, but a step in the right direction.
Key 2017 St. Louis Cardinals Departures
Matt Holliday and Brandon Moss may have been more firepower than the Cards could afford to lose. 48 combined home runs don’t just fall out of the sky, but that is about all they offer. Neither Holliday nor Moss are good or even average defenders at this point in their career. They are sluggers and St. Louis needs to upgrade those positions defensively if they are going to make some noise. Picking up Fowler helps the outfield in that regard by giving the team a true centerfielder. Moss was originally thought to be one of the players the Cards would love to see back in 2017, but his play last season canceled that. His 23 home runs were welcomed, but his subpar defense was not. He may come back at a discount, but that is unlikely. Look for Matt Adams to be added to list later on this offseason.
Who Are The Top 2017 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects
Alex Reyes odds to win the 2017 rookie of the year should be fairly good even if he could use more seasoning to work on his command and control. He will be in the Cards rotation this season because of his fastball that reaches the mid-90s (sometimes the 100s) and a power curveball that can only be described as crippling to batters. His changeup isn’t ready for the majors, but he isn’t afraid to throw it in order to bring his two best pitches to life.
In his 12 games in the majors, five starting, he went 4-1 and added a save to the resume as well. His ERA was 1.57 in 46 innings of duty. He gave up 33 hits, only one of which being a home run, and had 52 strikeouts. A pretty solid showing from the 22-year-old.
Harrison Bader should intrigue St. Louis Cardinals fans not because of his offense, but his defensive range. Bader has the ability to be a starter in all three outfield position because of excellent instincts. His routes to the ball are nearly always perfect and he is a technically sound fielder with good arm strength. He will be an average hitter at best in the majors. He has good, but not great, tools at the plate. Solid power, solid approach and a solid swing. Look for him to between .270 and .285 during his career. He is projected to be called up in 2017, but don’t be surprised if he makes an appearance early in the season if the defense struggles.
Making An Online Sportsbook Deposit
Getting money onto an online sports betting account is almost as important as getting money off of one. Ok, maybe not, but it is still important. Every major online sportsbook has a diverse menu of deposit methods to help make the process easier. SportsBetting.ag offers the widest variety, giving players a choice of 12 different way to fund their account. Site’s like Bovada choose to condense their list to the two most reliable methods (Visa credit card and bitcoin) to eliminate long processing times and deposit fees.
The point is there is a method or online sports betting site that has a deposit option that fits your needs. Don’t let something as small as transaction types stand in between you and a large payday. Check out the different bookmaking sites to see which one is best for you.
How Can A Player Take Advantage Of Deposit Bonuses?
Along with just about every deposit transaction is a way for you to increase the total amount of the deposit. They are called deposit bonuses and they are offered at every sports betting site as an incentive for signing up. Deposit bonuses add free plays to your bankroll based on the stipulations of the bonus. 5Dimes, for example, has a diverse selection of rewards programs for their members to take advantage of. Their most popular is the one that new members are automatically enrolled in and that is their Reduced Juice Program. This bonus changes the lines on just about every bet to more favorable odds for the bettor.
BetOnline does something that no other book can claim to do and that is offer its players a lifetime bonus. This offer rewards 25% up to $1000 on every valid deposit for the entire term of your membership with the site. How can you beat free money that lasts forever? Be sure to read the terms of the bonuses. They have small requirements, but nothing that isn’t worth a free boost in funds for your account.
Knowing how to read the odds on a baseball bet is the only way to know how much your wager will payout. The three ways that odds can be viewed are American odds, decimal odds, and fractional odds. Depending on which online sports betting website you choose to play on, you can run into any of these. Understanding all three will go a long way in your ability to place the best wager possible.
American Odds show the underdog using a plus sign (+), and the favorite using the minus sign (-). A bet on the underdog will show you how much you can win on a $100 bet. A bet on the favorite shows how much you would have to put up in order to win $100 on a bet.
Decimal Lines just need to be multiplied by the risk amount to see the anticipated payout. Lines set at 2.00 are even odds, meaning a winning wager will double your risked amount. Decimal odds don’t necessarily deal with favorites and underdogs, but the lower the number, the lower the payout.
Fractional Lines are easy to read because both the risk amount and the payout are found in the odds. Add a zero to each side of the odds and read them from right to left. The number on the bottom, or right (the denominator) will be your bet amount. The number on the top, or left (the numerator) shows how much your payout should be should you win the bet.
There are several wager types that favor the St. Louis Cardinals play style. This MLB preview will help finding the bet that suits your style is what is most important. If a player is only comfortable with the starting pitchers and wouldn’t want to deal with the uncertainty of a bullpen, they would bet using a first-five inning wager. These types of wagers allow for you to bet on the outcome of only the first five innings of action. It is good for teams who have subpar relief pitching.
Run lines are equivalent to a spread bet. The line is usually set a 1.5, giving teams a two-run window. Lines other than 1.5 are available, but uncommon and will rarely be seen. There are also grand salamis, where you can bet the over/under on all of the games played on a particular day. It is, in essence, a type of parlay bet, meaning you must get them all right in order to win the bet.
Baseball parlays, prop bets, and totals lines are also there to be played. It is all a matter of what you feel most comfortable playing. For the 2017 Cardinals, totals and run lines are probably the safer bets to place on this team. They are likely to have high-scoring outings and some teams may not be able to keep up. Expect wide margins of victory in the baseball equivalent of a shootout if the team’s defense isn’t at least incrementally better.
The way a team plays has everything to do with how you should bet on them. Knowing the tendencies of a ball club lets you know how susceptible they are to winning a particular kind of bet. The Cards, for example, like to pitch to contact and by extension see a lot of groundballs. However, the team’s terrible fielding leads to pitchers giving up a lot of hits. This would normally lead to avoiding any wagers on the team but with such an explosive offense, the team is a prime candidate for the over in a totals bet on most nights.
Yadier Molina hit over .300, Jedd Gyorko hit 30 home runs and Stephen Piscotty had 85 RBI. The team has bats and the defense will surely improve with Fowler, but monitoring this team’s hot and cold spells will be paramount. Even with a team full of solid power hitters, when the bats go cold the team struggles. If you sense the team is starting to regain momentum, wait for a few games before placing another bet to verify. Streaky teams like the Cardinals are always hard to figure out, but the more detailed your research, the more accurate you bet can be.
Fastest Payouts For Bets On The 2017 St. Louis Cardinals
Of all the potential sites players can choose, most go with the one that has the best rating online. Bovada has been a titan in the online sports betting site industry for more than 15 years and shows no sign of slowing down. The user-friendly interface, customer services, and unique features are some of the top draws to the site. But it is the payout speeds that put this sportsbook head and shoulders above the competition.
As we mentioned earlier, Bovada eliminates confusion by only offering its members two withdrawal methods – courier check and bitcoin. Using bitcoin, players can withdraw between $20 and $9500 once every five days free of charge. The best part is that the transactions are processed instantly and can be seen in your account in as little as 15 minutes. Courier checks, on the other hand, are available to those who don’t trust an e-wallet or online currency. Check withdrawals must be a minimum of $50, but have no maximum. You get one free withdrawal per month courtesy of Bovada. Each subsequent withdrawal in the same month will come with a $50 service charge.