Sam Panaiotovich
FOX sports betting analyst
Imagine you are a starting pitcher and you have to face a lineup with Julio Rodríguez, Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Rafael Devers to start your departure.
Uncle!
Here are the top five hitters expected in the Dominican Republic’s oddly loaded lineup heading into this month’s World Baseball Classic, which you can watch on FOX and the FOX Sports app.
And yes, you can bet on it.
The Dominican squad is the favorite to win it all, and they are as low as +175 in the American market. FOX Bet spreads them at +200, so a $100 bet earns you $200 and cashes out $300.
“Their lineup is stacked beyond belief,” Westgate SuperBook Senior Baseball Business Randy Blum told FOX Sports.
“They’re one of the teams that had a couple of pitchers leave, though. The Yankees said [Luis] Severino couldn’t play, and [Framber] Valdez of the Astros is not playing either. But this lineup is stacked from top to bottom.”
That said, the Dominicans were pretty stacked in the 2006 World Baseball Classic with Adrian Beltré, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, Alfonso Soriano and Miguel Tejada. But they finished fourth behind Japan, Cuba and South Korea.
Nothing is guaranteed.
Meanwhile, the United States has the second-shortest championship odds. The Americans have no shortage of talent, with the likes of Pete Alonso, Tim Anderson, Nolan Arenado, Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Schwarber, Mike Trout and Trea Turner pulling the same strings.
“When I look at the American roster, I see depth at every position,” Blum said. “Obviously, [Clayton] Kershaw dropped out, and [Aaron] Judge basically refused to play, but you look at the outfield, and it’s Trout and Betts along with Kyle Tucker. That’s a crazy trifecta.”
Is Team USA’s lineup for the World Baseball Classic the best ever?
Ben Verlander and Alex Curry break down Team USA’s potential starting lineup for the WBC.
ODDS OF WINNING THE 2023 BASEBALL WORLD CLASSIC*
Dominican Republic +200 (bet $10 to win $30 total)
United States +275 (bet $10 to win $37.50 total)
Japan +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)
korea +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Venezuela +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Mexico +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Puerto Rico +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
cuba +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Chinese Taipei +10,000 (bet $10 to win $1010 total)
Netherlands +10,000 (bet $10 to win $1010 total)
Italy +10,000 (bet $10 to win $1010 total)
canada +10,000 (bet $10 to win $1010 total)
colombia +15,000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Australia +15,000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
panama +25,000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Israel +35000 (bet $10 to win $3,510 total)
Czech Republic +40,000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)
Nicaragua +40,000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)
china +40,000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)
Great Britain +40,000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)
Blum really sees value in a team that is a bit behind the favorites. It’s obvious that the Dominicans, the Americans and the Japanese are the clear big hitters, but another team from the Far East may be worth a pop of the future.
“This Korean team is solid,” Blum opined. “You probably won’t know any of their names, but this is a very solid team. They’re built around small ball and depth of pitching. It’s a style that makes them a contender given the familiarity and the way a lot of them. the boys have played together for years.”
Anything else we should know?
“Team Israel could make some noise unexpectedly,” Blum predicted. “They’re not winning it all, but an upset or two is possible. I still don’t know what the requirements are to be on a certain team. Like if you have a dad who’s a third of this or a third of that, is it enough? Israel has some major league guys that I didn’t think would qualify for their team.”
As for the best bets, I’ll see you back here Monday morning with a bet or two.
Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and NESN. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He will probably pick against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @sprout.
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