National League pitching depth makes them the smart moneyline pick for MLB All-Star Game
The MLB All-Star Game is here. We bet on the Home Run Derby last night and won some cash on that, so why would we skip the main game? I know that the All-Star Game has lost some luster in the past years, but if we cash a ticket, it pays the same way any regular MLB game would pay.
Last year, we hit Schwarber as the MVP, so let’s try to get some more money.
Looking at the rosters is always the first place to start for the All-Star Game. In the American League, there are some very familiar starters – Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger, Yordan Alvarez, and some newer names – Shea Langeliers, Ben Rice, and even Junior Caminero. I like the balance of new and old. Those starters probably will get two at-bats. Looking at the reserves, I’m fairly unimpressed. I get that they are all having good seasons, but I don’t love the options to fill out the remainder of the game.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR DURING THE 2026 MLB ALL-STAR GAME AT CITIZENS BANK PARK IN PHILADELPHIA
For the National League, they have a fairly similar makeup with Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Juan Soto, and Kyle Schwarber as the veteran presence. Guys like Drake Baldwin, CJ Abrams, and Andy Pages are the younger dudes. However, I really like the bench from the National League. Need a base hit? Luis Arraez. Need a clutch moment? Bryce Harper. Defensive replacement or stolen base? Pete Crow-Armstrong. I think the National League is deeper.
For pitching, the American League is turning to Dylan Cease to start. He should be solid, and I like the rest of the American League starters. There is also some heat coming out of the bullpen if they want actual relief pitchers.
The National League is having home starter Christopher Sanchez take the ball. Sanchez is a dominant pitcher and should be fired up to make this start. Imagine being the National League Manager and going Sanchez-Chris Sale-Jacob Misiorowski-Paul Skenes-Logan-Webb- Jhoan-Duran-Raisel Iglesias-Riley O’Brien-Mason Miller. That doesn’t include most of their pitching options either.
As you can probably expect, I’ll bet on the National League to win this one. I just think their roster and their pitchers are better. Who actually will play in this game is a tough question to answer, though. We never seem to know it for certain. Some guys show up but don’t want to play (other guys just opt out beforehand). I’ll take the National League at -135, and I’ll skip the total, but lean to the under 7.5.
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I really don’t have a great vote for MVP. I picked Harper yesterday, and I think he is worth it to pick here as well. However, I do think we get some sort of longball early in a game from a starter. I think it is worth picking Freeman as a shot is a decent look as well. At +3000 he has power to get the homer, and should get two at-bats. If we are going to take a different reserve, Pete Crow-Armstrong at +2500 seems to have a bit of value because he can make highlight plays, has been on a tear, and could steal a couple of bases.
I've only named National League players, and even though I think they win, we probably should pick a couple of American League guys as well. Yordan Alvarez has been ridiculous this season and could put a ball over the ball in this one no matter who is pitching. I will also take Willson Contreras at +4500 for the same reason as last night - he is extra motivated to bring some positivity to him and Venezuela.
Officially, I'll take the National League to win at -135. For MVP, I'm going to put a quarter unit on Freeman, Harper, Crow-Armstrong, Contreras, and Alvarez each. Just like yesterday, none of these are big bets. This is an exhibition, I just want to make it fun for us.
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