2009 All-Star Break Breakdown
Now that baseball has reached its traditional All-Star break, it's time for another look at some of the trends that have occurred during the first half of the season.
Units Won
It's no surprise that the Los Angeles Dodgers have shown the largest flat-bet profit of any team, as their record of 56-32 is the best in baseball. It is a bit surprising to see that the Angels and the Giants are next two teams in terms of money won, with Texas close behind.
Another surprise is that there are no sub-.500 teams that have shown a flat-bet profit so far this season, with Houston the closest, going 44-44 for a flat-bet profit of .40 units.
Top Moneymaking Teams at All-Star Break
1. Los Angeles Dodgers +18.75 units
2. Los Angeles Angels +11.60 units
3. San Francisco Giants +11.5 units
4. Texas Rangers +10.75 units
5. Boston Red Sox +9.0 units
Units Lost
Once again it's not much of a surprise to see who the leader is at the other end of the spectrum, as the worst team in baseball, the Washington Nationals, have a firm grasp on that category, with Cleveland, the only other team with a winning percentage below .400 at No. 2.
While there were no sub-.500 teams to show a flat-bet profit so far, there are several teams above .500 which have shown a flat-bet loss so far. Most notably would be the Yankees, who are in the red despite having the third-best record in baseball. Others are Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee. The Cubs are close, being down 8.95 units while playing .500 ball.
Top Money-Losing Teams at All-Star Break
1. Washington Nationals -30.05 units2. Cleveland Indians -23.58 units
3. Arizona Diamondbacks -15.40 units
4. Kansas City Royals -13.95 units
5. San Diego Padres -12.10 units
Pitchers
The Angels' Matt Palmer may not be a household name, but he has been a baseball bettors best friend so far this season, as the Angels have won nine of his 11 starts for a flat-bet profit of 10.4 units, as he has come through as a large underdog several times so far this season.
Jeff Niemann, Scott Feldman and Josh Johnson are a few more pitchers who don't get a lot of recognition, but have been moneymakers in the early going.
Top Pitchers at All-Star Break
1. Matt Palmer (Angels) +10.4 units2. Tim Wakefield (Red Sox) +9.1 units
3. Jeff Niemann (Marlins) +9.0 units
4. Josh Johnson (Marlins) +8.6 units
5. Josh Beckett (Red Sox) +8.2 units
5. Matt Cain (Giants) +8.2 units
7. Jason Marquis (Rockies) +7.7 units
8. Scott Feldman (Rangers) +7.3 units
9. Felix Hernandez (Mariners) +6.8 units
10. Mark Buehrle (White Sox) +6.6 units
On the other side of the equation, there are several big names when it comes to money lost, especially at the very bottom, where Cleveland's Cliff Lee and New York's CC Sabathia head the list. Ryan Dempster is another who had a big season last year, but is now costing bettors some serious money.
Biggest Money-Burning Pitchers at All-Star Break
1. Cliff Lee (Indians) -12.8 units2. CC Sabathia (Yankees) -9.9 units
3. Manny Parra (Brewers) -9.8 units
4. Doug Davis (Diamondbacks) -9.7 units
5. Ross Detwiler (Nationals) -8.1 units
6. Daniel Cabrera (Nationals) -8.0 units
7. Ubaldo Jimenez (Rockies) -7.5 units
8. Gil Meche (Royals) -7.3 units
9. Ryan Dempster (Cubs) -7.0 units
10. Jeremy Sowers (Indians) -6.3 units
10. Ian Snell (Pirates) -6.3 units
