With the MLB season officially coming to an end, it’s time we take a step back and look at the performance of teams from a big picture perspective, specifically, the profitability of each team after accounting for the betting lines. As we all know, a team’s final win-loss record at the end of the season does not mean that the team was also the most profitable team to bet on. If everyone else thinks the team will win a large majority of their games, the betting lines will certainly reflect this, driving the lines down. As a result, you’ll in turn need to win at a very high rate in order to earn any sort of profits. For example, if a team’s average payout on the moneyline for all their games during the season is -150 or 1.67, you’ll need to win at a .600 clip, just to break even. Let’s take a look at the five most profitable MLB teams this season.
Milwaukee Brewers
Money: +1801
Not many people would have pegged the Milwaukee Brewers as the most profitable team to bet on during 2017. Although the Brewers finished just shy of a postseason berth, they would have earned you the most money had you bet on them every single game. During the regular season, the Brewers finished with an 86-76 record (.531). If you had wagered $100 on every single game that the Brewers played, you would have netted $1,801 – not too shabby. In terms of the over/under of games that the Brewers were involved in, you would have been better off taking the under, as the Brewers’ games went under the game total 87 times while going over 68 times, with seven pushes, making for a .561 winning percentage.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Money: +1656
The Arizona Diamondbacks also took a huge leap forward this season, securing the top wild card spot and defeating the Colorado Rockies in the wild card game, only to be swept by the eventual National League Championship Series winner Los Angeles Dodgers. The Diamondbacks posted a 93-69 record (.574) during the regular season. If you had placed a $100 bet on every single one of the Diamondbacks’ games, you would have netted $1,656. Similar to the Brewers, the under bet on game totals was the more profitable betting option for the Diamondbacks, with the Diamondbacks posting 81 wins on the under to 73 wins on the over, with eight pushes, for a winning percentage of .526, which would have barely just broken even.
Colorado Rockies
Money: +1244
What’s with all these NL teams being the most profitable? Similar to the Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies had a very good season, finishing second in the NL wild card standings with an 87-75 record (.537). Sadly, the Rockies season ended at the hands of the Diamondbacks in the wild card game. If you had placed a wager of $100 on every single Rockies’ game, you would have profited $1,244. However, quite surprisingly, the under for game totals was especially profitable for Rockies’ games. This comes as a shock since the Rockies play half of their games in the extremely hitter-friendly Coors Field. The Rockies posted 91 wins on the under to 64 wins on the over, with seven pushes, for a winning percentage of .587.
Houston Astros
Money: +1172
Although the 2017 World Series Champions did not finish first on this list, you would have made quite a bit of extra money had you taken every single one of their games during their spectacular postseason run. The Astros finished the regular season with 100+ wins – 101-61 (.623 winning percentage). Had you placed $100 on all of their regular season games, you would have walked away with an additional $1,172. Opposite of the first three NL teams in this list, the Astros had more games that resulted in the over on game totals – 81 to be exact with 72 games falling on the under side and nine pushes for a winning percentage of .529.
Minnesota Twins
Money: +1148
Not many people would have expected the Minnesota Twins to make the postseason in the second wild card spot either. This year’s Twins finished with a 85-77 record (.525) and had you placed $100 bets on all of their games, you would have netted $1,148. Following a similar trend, the Twins had more games falling on the under side (79) compared to 73 on the over along with 10 pushes, for a .519 winning percentage. However, if you had taken all of the Twins’ games on the under, you would have lost money!
The MLB season is in coming to a conclusion, so if you’re looking at betting lines, in-game betting and World Series futures, click here to bet on MLB (or any other sports) at BetDSI!
