With Paul Skenes being drafted and becoming the first first overall pick to play in a summer All-Star Game, it’s safe to say interest in this year’s MLB Draft is on fire.
With intrigue comes opportunity for gambling.
Here are some of the best bets for the three-day 2024 MLB Rookie Draft (ESPN, MLB Network), which begins at 7 p.m. Sunday.
The Guardians’ starting lineup is…
After Skenes’s immediate success, there will be extraordinary interest in who is selected on First Sunday.
The odds are that one of two infielders will be selected: Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana (-150) or West Virginia’s JJ Weatherholt (+175).
Originally from Australia, Bazzana has an interesting background, having started his cricket career as a batsman before moving to the United States to continue playing baseball.
He showed tremendous growth at Oregon State University, batting around .300 as a freshman with little power, but in 2024 he posted incredible numbers with a .407 batting average, .568 on-base percentage, .911 slugging percentage and 28 home runs.
Bazzana is primarily a second baseman but also has versatility as an outfielder.
Weatherholt hit .449 at West Virginia in 2023, but missed a lot of time last season with a hamstring injury and his rate-based numbers were low when he did play.
He doesn’t offer as much power as Bazana, making him a slightly less likely choice.
While there’s no certainty as to who will be the No. 1 overall pick, it would be hard to find a serious mock draft in which Cleveland doesn’t select Bazzana.
As someone new to U.S. baseball, I have confidence that Bazzana will continue to improve, and with his ability to get on base, it’s hard to ignore a left-handed pitcher with power.
Bazzana has an estimated 56 percent chance of winning first place, making it worth a bet. It would be a surprise to see Weatherholt or anyone else surpass him.
recommendation: Bazzana was the No. 1 overall pick (-150, DraftKings).
First Round Prop Bets
Keep an eye on the draft position of Texas A&M right-hander Braden Montgomery.
He has a disappointing 7.5 point projected rating, but that could drop due to the injury he suffered during the Super Regionals.
His prognosis is good and he has been consistently rated within the top five.
After a successful start to his career at Stanford, Montgomery transferred to A&M and found a higher gear, nearly winning a College World Series title.
Compared to his final year in Palo Alto, Calif., he increased his home runs by 10 to 27 and his slugging percentage by 122 points to .733.
Everything you need to know about MLB betting
Montgomery flashed the talent to be a high-end switch-hitter with a big impact at the major league level last season and is likely expected to be one of the first players selected by the Athletics at No. 4. With odds of -115, it’s definitely worth betting on him being selected No. 7 or earlier.
Catcher Malcolm Moore is another Stanford player I’m keeping an eye on.
His defense is questionable and he may have to be moved to first base, which would significantly reduce his value.
He’s a solid hitter, but he didn’t show any notable improvement from his freshman to sophomore years and wouldn’t necessarily be a first-round pick.
With odds of +110, I would bet on him being selected after the 26th pick.
Recommendation: Braden Montgomery is drafted 7.5 or lower (-115), Malcolm Moore is drafted 26.5 or higher (+110) — FanDuel
