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Mixed martial arts MLB World Series Player Props: MVP, HOMERS and TOTAL BASES
The 2023 World Series begins on Friday night between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks. Both ballclubs have defied the odds to reach this stage, with each having to overcome three rounds of postseason play.
Texas and Arizona had to win Game Sevens to reach the Fall Classic. Both teams have turned their fortunes in quick time, after they each suffered 100-loss seasons as recently as 2021.
Read below for our analysis of Texas Rangers vs Arizona Diamondbacks from US sports expert Sam Cox. For more free baseball tips, visit the bettingexpert community, and for more expert tips, visit our Expert Insights section.
- World Series MVP: Merrill Kelly
- Most Home Runs: Adolis Garcia
- Most Total Bases In Series: Ketel Marte
WORLD SERIES MVP
Corey Seager is the betting favourite to win World Series MVP, which is hardly surprising considering he is the best player on the favoured team. Predicting the MVP in the Fall Classic is far from an exact science, however, with numerous surprise winners over the years, including Steve Pearce, Jeremy Pena and Jorge Soler topping the voting in the last five series.
So, we figured it’s best to look at some longshots for a bit of value.
Step forward, Merrill Kelly.
The veteran right-hander might not be an elite-stuff ace like Stephen Strasburg (the only pitcher to win the award in the last eight years), but Kelly has been utterly dominant in two of his three postseason starts.
Yes, it is a concern Torey Lovullo will continue to have a short leash with Kelly, but he’s also in line to start games two and six. If the Diamondbacks win a long series, particularly if they clinch in Game Six, Kelly is bound to have a major role to play. For those that like the Dbacks to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy, Kelly is a decent wager at this price.
MOST HOME RUNS
Of players to have 20 or more plate appearances this postseason, only Corey Seager and Yordan Alvarez have a better wRC+ than Adolis Garcia. Garcia was at the centre of controversy in the ALCS, but he was also the hottest hitter across the two Championship Series, which saw him win the ALCS MVP.
Garcia has a league-high seven homers this postseason, including five in the final four games of the ALCS. He has been absolutely crushing the ball, capped off with a four-hit effort in Game Seven.
Having hit 39 bombs in the regular season with a 96th percentile barrel rate, Garcia is the obvious pick to hit the most World Series home runs at 4.50.
Most total bases in series
While it is tempting to double-down on Garcia in this market or even back the contact skills of Corey Seager or Marcus Semien, Ketel Marte’s 9.00 price at Bet365 really leaps off the page.
Marte has a .371 batting average this postseason. He has broken records aplenty, including becoming the first player in National League history to have a 16-game hitting streak to start his Playoff career.
Only Garcia and Alvarez have more total bases in these Playoffs than Marte. If the Diamondbacks are to compete in this series, they need the Dominican switch-hitter to maintain this hot streak.
SAFER GAMBLING
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