The 2024 Major League Baseball season starts today. Sure, I know the Dodgers and Padres played a couple games last week in Korea that baseball says count in the standings, but I don’t call those games played in the middle of the night (for us) “opening day.” Besides, the only noteworthy thing to come out of those games was the game’s greatest player possibly being embroiled in a gambling scandal.
Indeed, the baseball season as WE choose to recognize it starts today, and in Houston, that means the hated Yankees coming to Minute Maid Park. We can’t wait! It’s a long season, though, and if you need something to help keep your attention during the dog days of summer, there’s nothing better than having a few season long prop bets open on some of your team’s best players and their season stats.
So here are five wagers that allow you to have some skin in the game, and still root for your Houston Astros! Odds are courtesy of DraftKings:
Yordan Alvarez OVER 37.5 home runs (-105)
Yordan Alvarez OVER 109.5 RBI (-105)
Both of these bets are strictly a bet on Yoirdan Alvarez staying healthy enough to play, say, 140 games. If he plays that many games, he will sail past these numbers. For some context, Alvarez hit 31 home runs and had 97 RBI in just 112 games last season! Also, keep in mind that Alvarez will be batting second this season, which probably means a handful of extra plate appearances.
Kyle Tucker attains 30/30 club, YES +380
Tucker finished last season with 29 home runs and 30 stolen bases, so he was really close to getting into that exclusive 30/30 club last season. From a durability standpoint, Tucker is about as big a lock as there is in baseball that you’ll get a good 150 games out of him. He’s also two seasons away from a monstrous contract in free agency, so there’s that bit of extra motivation. Also, manager Joe Espada has said they plan to be aggressive on the base paths, so the 30 stolen bases is very attainable.
Jose Altuve OVER 150.5 hits (-110)
The last two seasons, Altuve has gotten back to hitting for average again. Maybe not to the levels of his batting title days, but he’s been over .300 the last two seasons, including .311 last year. In just 90 games, he had 112 hits, so if he stays healthy for 130 games, it feels like 151 hits should be a lock.
Cristian Javier OVER 10.5 wins (-110)
Javier was one of the bigger disappointments last season, with an ERA of nearly 5.00 in the second half of the season. He looked heavier in 2023, and that proved to be true, when in spring training, he made a big deal out of losing 15 pounds this offseason. So I am going with the new trimmer Javier to regain his 2022 form and get at least 11 wins this season.
Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
