Greetings, baseball fans! We're just about to see the first-ever World Series between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks. It's a fresh matchup with lots of new faces for casual sports fans and hopefully we'll get to see seven games of great action. Speaking of action, we had a hell of a gambling run come to a screeching halt in Game 7 of the NLCS. My 0-3 day hurt, but we'll look onward toward the World Series as a new opportunity to get hot again.
On the series level, there are lots of fun plays to be made. Let's dive in and make some picks.
World Series winner
Rangers: -175
Diamondbacks: +145
Common sentiment will be that "everyone" keeps picking against the Diamondbacks and it's true I picked against them in the NLDS and NLCS. I did have them taking out the Brewers, though, so it isn't like I'm some gigantic D-backs naysayer. I do believe them to be the inferior team in this series and the Rangers have taken out even bigger powerhouses than the Diamondbacks have.
The play: Rangers -175
World Series MVP
This starts with Corey Seager at +500 and goes all the way down to Leody Taveras at +6600. If I'm picking the Rangers, I have to go with a Rangers player for MVP, so that cuts off half the field.
The play: Adolis García +600
With two more RBI, García will break David Freese's record for the most in a single postseason. It'll happen. He's a streaky player who is incredibly locked in right now. He also slugged over .600 at home in the regular season, so I'm expecting him to get off to a hot start in Games 1 and 2 to set the tone.
Longshot play: Jonah Heim +3500
The All-Star catcher went 5 for 14 with a homer and two RBI in the last three games of the ALCS. If he can ride the wave here with some big home runs, he absolutely could pull off the MVP. We've seen lesser-known players win the World Series MVP plenty of times, such as Jeremy Peña, Jorge Soler and Steve Pearce just in the last five seasons.
Home run leader
If I'm picking García for MVP, I've got to take him for HR leader, right? Seager is the favorite at +350 with García next at +400. Christian Walker heads up the D-backs side at +900. Some of the longshots that look enticing: Gabriel Moreno +8000, Evan Carter +8000 and Tommy Pham at +2500.
The play: García +400
Longshot play: Moreno +8000. He didn't homer in the NLCS, but he had three in the first two rounds of the playoffs. There's plenty of power in that bat and he showed a penchant for the big hit in the NLCS.
Hits leader
I've gotta go with a top-of-the-order guy here. Seager is the favorite, again, at +600 with Rangers leadoff man Marcus Semien next at +900. The top two in the Arizona lineup, Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte sits at +1100, Mitch Garver and Gabriel Moreno also have +1100 odds.
Marte has a 16-game hitting streak and looks the part, too. Let's ride.
The play: Ketel Marte +1100
World Series exacta
You can get +1600 on a Diamondbacks sweep, but I'm not seeing that one. It is the longest shot for a reason. The shortest odds are on the Rangers in six (+375), but the sports fan in me is greedy for the drama. I'll say it goes seven.
The play: Rangers in 7, +400
