The Washington Nationals 2017 betting preview should look eerily similar to their past few betting previews. With lots of talent and a good crop of top prospects, the Nationals should easily be able to top the NL East again in 2017. Their trouble hasn’t been the regular season, though. Trouble usually arises for this group of talented young men when they reach the National League Division Series. Failing to advance past teams that are seeded lower than they are twice in the last three years, the Nats seem to always hit a block when attempting to advance to the World Series. Washington has never been to the championship, but with some of MLB’s top prospects heading into 2017 and two potential rookies of the year, they’ve got the best chance they’ve had in a while. Below are all of the key factors that go into winning a World Series, including a Division and World Series betting preview.
The Washington Nationals 2017 World Series betting odds have been steadily improving in the offseason and are now sitting at the third best in the league at +900. The biggest block standing in the way of the National’s taking the World Series is their penchant for losing to less talented teams in the NLDS. If they can overcome this trend of implosion, they should be able to make it at the very least to the NLCS, if not to the 2017 World Series.
Nationals’ Odds To Win The Division
Winter talks have just begun, and so, unfortunately, the Nationals’ odds to win the division haven’t been released just yet. Based on their performance over the past few years and the fact that they won the NL East last season, though, it’s reasonable to assume that they’ll be the favorites to take the division once more. Their biggest competition will more than likely be coming from the New York Mets, who will be returning to full health after an injury-filled 2016.
Key Additions for 2017
The Washington Nationals’ have already made some key additions for 2017. As the defending NL East Division Champs, the Nationals didn’t really have too much to add to their already playoff worthy team. What they’re really going to focus on is improving their playoff strategy, so that they don’t get knocked off by a lower seeded team like they have in their last few postseason appearances. Below are the key additions the Nationals have secured for 2017.
Gio Gonzalez – Gonzalez was already a member of the Nationals in 2016, but the team has exercised their club option and retained him heading into 2017. Gonzalez finished the season .262/.326/.404, with a 3.53 FIP and a 1.32 WHIP, which was good enough to earn him the extension, but will need improvement if he wants to see a big money, multi-year contract.
Derek Norris – the acquisition of Derek Norris was the last nail in Wilson Ramos’ coffin, signaling that Mike Rizzo wouldn’t be taking the risk on his injured all-star after all. Norris is a solid defensive player but had a dreadful offensive season with the Padres. He finished the year with a measly .186/.255/.328. The Nats are banking on him having a better offensive year now that he’s back in DC.
Adam Eaton – Pending a medical review, the Washington Nationals have signed White Sox all-star OF Adam Eaton. The Nationals traded Giolito and Lopez in order to pick up Eaton, who finished last year .284/.362/.428 with 14 home runs and a 6.0 WAR. Contracts won’t be signed until Eaton clears a medical examination, but that shouldn’t be a problem for the 28-year-old.
Key Departures for 2017
While the Nats haven’t officially parted ways with Wilson Ramos, he will more than likely headline their Key Departures for 2017. Ever cautious, GM Mike Rizzo won’t be taking chances on the injured catcher, and definitely won’t be willing to give him the multi-year contract he’s sure to ask for. While waiting for a status update on Wilson, though, it is important to note that there have been several key departures for 2017 already.
Jonathon Papelbon – Papelbon’s release is sort of old news, but still worth mentioning. Released in August to make room in the bullpen, Papelbon was going to be designated for assignment but asked for a release instead. His position as closer had been taken over by Mark Melancon. In the last few weeks of his time with the Nats, his two appearances were lackluster at best. The Nationals are still on the line for his $11 million for 2016, though.
Mark Melancon – The Marquee closer signed a 4-year contract with San Francisco on December 5th, after just a couple of months with the Nationals. During his time with Washington, Melancon posted an 8.2 k/9 ratio and .81 WHIP. He leads the league in saves (131), earning 17 of those saves out of a potential 18 in his short time with Washington.
In a surprise move, the Nationals, who had been thought to be targeting Andrew McCutchen, acquired OF Adam Eaton late in Winter Talks. In order to do this, they let go of their two top 10 prospects, right-handed pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. They also handed over Dane Dunning, a tier 2 prospect who isn’t expected to come out of the minors for a few years.
Lucas Giolito – The rightie from Santa Monica is one of the best prospects in MLB. While his performance in 2016 after getting called up to the big leagues didn’t go as smoothly as many hoped, he now has those jitters out of the way. His next call up should really show us what he’s made of. Don’t be surprised if you see betting odds for 2017 rookie of the year attached to his name once he gets that call. Currently, he has a 9.7 K/9 ratio and is smoking the rest of his Minor League competition with a 2.96 FIP and 1.28 WHIP.
Reynaldo Lopez – Could we be looking at a dark horse Rookie of the Year? Lopez got his call while the Nationals were looking to fill bullpen holes made by injuries, and moved Lopez up through two levels before calling him up to the main show. With a 4.5 BB/9, he didn’t have a stellar showing. But there were definitely some sparks of potential. With a little more development in the farm system, he’ll be exactly where he needs to be. With a fastball that averaged 96.77 MPH in his 44 Major innings, He’ll more than likely get called up mid-season if he progresses on track.
Who Are The Nationals’ Top Prospects For 2017?
The Washington Nationals, along with being one of the best teams last year, also have one of the better farm systems heading into 2017. They gave up two of their top ten prospects, but still have quite a bit of depth in their system. Headlined by a couple of top tier players, the Nationals’ top prospects for 2017 are definitely going to make waves when they get their calls. Fedde has been smoking his minor league competition and Robles has a lot of power in someone so young.
Erick Fedde – Fedde is officially two years out from Tommy John Surgery, and in 2016 earned a 2.85 ERA, 1.87 K/9 in Advanced A and a 3.0 BB/9 ratio in Double-A. He’s looking just as good as ever. Fedde will more than likely start back in Double-A in 2017 but should get called up in the latter half of the season. He has a projected ceiling of becoming a number 2 starter.
Victor Robles – Robles is young, and still in Advanced A, but his.305 batting average, quick feet, and impressive ability to steals bases frequently (18 of 23), bodes well for quick ascension through the levels. He’s not a slugger yet, but he is a consistent hitter, especially when it comes to hitting doubles. He is still only 19 years old, and power comes with experience. Still a little green to come out, but could get a call in late 2017.
Betting on the Washington Nationals at an online sports betting site can be both easy and fun, so long as you choose the right book for you. Below, we’ve outlined how you can bet on the Nationals’ this season, including popular wager types and a brief overview of how to read baseball odds. We’ve also reviewed a couple of our favorite sports betting sites that accept US residents. Once you’ve finished going over the Nationals’ betting preview and figure out who you want to bet on, head on over to one of these baseball sportsbooks.
Best Ways To Deposit At Sportsbook
There’s no right way to deposit at a sportsbook, but some methods are better than others when it comes to speed and ease. When trying to bet on baseball, you’ll want to choose a deposit method that is quick, so that you don’t have to worry about missing out on any wagers. Credit cards are the fastest and easiest way to deposit no matter what sport you’re going to wager on, but they might get declined, due to the UIGEA. If you want to avoid the hassle of a possibly declined deposit, or have already tried using your credit card and were declined, you should try using a prepaid card. It’s just as easy to use as your credit card but won’t get declined. This is because the funds are already on the card, which means a line of credit doesn’t have to be extended by the bank. When the bank isn’t involved, the UIGEA doesn’t come into play.
If you don’t want to purchase a prepaid card, or just don’t have the time to run to the store, you should check out a digital currency site. Digital currencies like Bitcoins or Litecoins are independent of a central financial institute, so the UIGEA doesn’t come into play here, either. These sites convert USD into coins, and while the conversion rate fluctuates, it is pretty easy to get a handle on how to use them. Many sportsbooks accept both Bitcoin and Litecoin, and the transaction only takes minutes, so you can deposit funds into your account and start making wagers right away. Digital currencies are quickly becoming the most popular funding method for sports betting sites.
What Are Deposit Bonuses And Are They Worth It?
Many sports betting sites that accept US players also offer deposit bonuses. These bonuses are determined based on the amount you put into your account, and generally, will match a percentage of it. For example, if the deposit bonus is 50% matching, and you deposit $100, you’ll get an extra $50 added to your account. Sounds like a great deal, right? It can be, but only if you’re planning on wagering a lot of money. I say this because, in order to collect the deposit bonus, you have to fulfill a rollover requirement. Rollovers are fulfilled by wagering the total amount of your deposit plus the total amount of your bonus a set amount of times. In most cases, this is six times. So, if you deposit $100, get that extra $50, you have to wager a total of $900 in order to withdraw that $50. Doesn’t exactly sound like it’s worth it, now, does it? Now, if you intend to wager more than that anyways, then deposit bonuses are a great deal. So it really just depends on what you intend to do. Deposit bonuses aren’t the only types of bonuses that are offered at online sports betting sites, though. Free play money and reduced juice promotions are great ways to really get the most bang for your buck without having to fulfill any crazy requirements. So don’t get too bummed out!
If you’re new to betting on baseball, you may be trying to figure out how to read baseball odds. It’s actually pretty simple. Check out the example below, and we’ll go over everything.
When you see a team with a set of numbers next to it with either a (-) or (+) in front of it, you’re looking at American odds. Baseball odds are sometimes shown as fractions, but this is very uncommon. When dealing with American baseball odds, the (-) denotes who the favorite is, and the (+) denotes the underdog. The number itself shows how much you stand to win. In the example, the Nationals are favored, so you would have to wager $160 to win $100. When a team is favored, it means they are more likely to win, which is why you have to wager more to win less. When betting on the Mets in this example, it’s less likely that they’ll win, so you can wager less for the chance to win more. Here, you would only have to wager $100 to win $120. And now you know how to read baseball odds.
MLBPreview.com has identified many different wager types to choose from when betting on baseball. From straight bets – called moneylines – to runlines and totals, baseball wagers are some of the best to make because you can make them multiple times, daily. Some of the best sports betting sites even allow you to participate in live betting, which gives you the chance to bet on certain aspects of the game, rather than the game as a whole. Below are some of the more popular baseball wager types that are available at online sportsbooks.
First Five Innings – When you bet the first five innings of a baseball game, you’re basically betting on the starting pitcher’s ability. The wager itself is on which team is winning after the first “half” of baseball. This is a great bet to make if you don’t want to risk betting on a team with a thin pitching rotation or if you like the starting pitcher but none of the relievers. First five innings is a great way to be able to bet on a game without having to do all of the research that some other bets like totals and pitch counts require.
Totals – Another extremely common baseball wager type is betting on the total. Whether you think a team will go over or under the projected amount of runs takes a little bit of research, and you wager will heavily depend on whether a stadium is a pitcher’s field or a hitter’s park. For example, if a game is played in Colorado, the total will more than likely go over. But if you’re in Miami, the total is more likely to go under, because it’s a pitcher’s park.
Parlays – A Parlay bet is one bet that is made by putting together two or more individual wagers. Baseball parlays are a tough wager to make because there are so many contributing factors to choosing a winning set of teams. If any one individual team on your parlay card loses, it’s all over. But the payout on a parlay is so much higher than on an individual bet, so the reward balances out the risk. If you feel up to the challenge, baseball parlays may be the wager for you.
You may be asking yourself why you need to know so much about the betting trends and all the individual player statistics when you’re just planning on making a maneyline bet on your team. It’s because understanding baseball betting trends and stats give you the best chance of making successful wagers. Each team plays 162 games, so even if you’re only betting on one team this season, that’s a heck of a lot of wagers to make blind. Say you’re stuck between choosing a moneyline wager or a first five innings bet. If you go in blind without looking at a team’s stats, you may not realize that they have a great starter but no relief in the bullpen. So you might make the mistake of betting the moneyline, which gives you a higher probability of losing your wager. But, if you had hopped onto our team's stats page a few minutes before placing your bet, you’d have seen that the bullpen was weak and you’d have bet the first five innings instead, giving you a much higher chance of winning. When it comes to your money, shouldn’t you cut out as much risk as possible?
Following the betting trends is just as important. Knowing how your team does historically against the spread when they’re facing a certain opponent at home or away is vital information when it comes to betting on baseball. Knowing the betting trends just gives you a better idea on if you should bet the over or under when choosing to make a totals wager. Following betting trends for any sport is important, but it’s especially important for baseball because there are so many moving parts. These trends let you know how a team has done straight up, whether or not they can cover a run line, and how they perform when away or at home. Understanding baseball betting trends and statistics isn’t a gimmick, it’s honestly just another way to cut as much risk as possible out of an already risky business. I mean, who doesn’t want to have a better chance at winning tons of money?
Best Bonuses For American Players
Betting on baseball is one of the best ways to enjoy an already great game. But unless you want to fly to Vegas, you can’t really do it in person. That’s why we suggest you head on over to SportsBetting.ag, an online sports betting site that accepts US residents from all 50 states. This book is one of the best online sportsbooks around, having operated for nearly two decades. Their reputation precedes them, and they are known for speedy payouts, a vast variety of wager types, and the absolute best bonuses around.
SportsBetting.ag is currently offering 7 different ways for you to earn extra money, just by depositing funds into your account or using some of their features. They’ll credit your account up to $75 just for trying out their live betting and mobile betting features. And for betting on baseball, there’s no better place. Their MLB dime lines and reduced juice promotions are incomparable. You won’t find anything like it anywhere else. With SportsBetting sportsbook, you’ll be sure to get the absolutely best-betting experience.