Team ‘over/under’ win totals for the season creates a great opportunity for handicappers to stretch out their dollars. As the season comes to a close, gamblers have sweet hedging opportunities where they can put themselves into positions to hit both sides of there wager.

Here are teams that I have wagered on for the 2007 baseball season

Florida Marlins: Under 76.5 wins

Looking back:

The 2006 regular season was a fantastic year for the fish. They were in contention for the NL Wild Card in September and got much more production than anyone anticipated. It all started at the top, manager Joe Girardi was great at getting the most out of his players, for this, he was honored with NL Manager of The Year. Shortstop Hanley Ramirez was named Rookie of The Year and second baseman Dan Uggla finished high in the voting as well. Other notable rookies, Scott Olsen, Anibal Sanchez and Josh Willingham all came up huge for the Marlins. They finished the season with a 78-84 record, good for fourth in the NL East. This is a team that was 20 games under .500 before Memorial Day; they turned it around and the young guys starting believing.

Advertisement

Looking ahead:

To me, the reason for success in 2006 was largely attributed to Joe Girardi. Two days after the season, management ended their feud with Girardi and fired him. In steps Atlanta’s third-base coach Fredi Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been a bench coach in the big leagues for almost four years, but spent most of his career as a skipper in the minors.

With a revamped bullpen that has question marks all over the place, this team is going to have to score a lot of runs on days when flamethrower Dontrelle Willis isn’t on the hill. I think there will be a major sophomore slump that will have this team rattled; I do not believe the rookie manager will be able to pick these guys up. There won’t be a battle for the playoffs this year, only a fight to stay out of the NL East’s cellar.

Cleveland: Over 85.5 wins

Looking Back:

Last year was a very disappointing season for the Tribe. They finished fourth in the AL Central with a 78-84 record. Fans were anticipating a much better year considering the Indians finished 2005 on such a strong note. Like many ball clubs, pitching was the big problem. To be more specific, relief pitching was a disaster. The pen blew 18 save opportunities last season, which killed the Indians’ confidence and had everyone biting their nails when closing time did occur. The Tribe’s offense was powerful as ever last season with the leadership of Grady Sizemore at the top of the line-up and the power of Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez in the middle.

Looking ahead:

The Indians first priority was to fix the bullpen. They went out and acquired Joe Borowski from Florida. Last season he recorded 36 saves and had an ERA in the mid 3’s. Borowski is not a top tier closer, but a major step up for the Tribe. The Indians didn’t stop there; they also picked up Roberto Hernandez and added Rafael Betancourt to develop into a solid set-up man as the season progresses.

Offensively the Indians are still stacked. There lineup will be juggled often this season as they look to platoon both right and left field. First base will be platooned as well. This gives the Indians awesome depth and player experience. Most importantly, it allows the Tribe to put their best team on the field for almost every circumstance, whether it be a pitching or defensive matchup.

Detroit: Under 88.5 wins

Looking Back:

The Tigers’ 2006 season was a dream year for the club, as manager Jim Leyland turned every other move into gold. Last year, the Tigers rattled off 95 wins which was the closest win total since 1987 when the accumulated 98 victories. The dream regular season carried over to the postseason, as the Tigers knocked out the Yankees and disposed of the Athletics. They couldn’t grab the title as the Cardinals proved to be too tough.

Looking ahead:

You know what happens when you go out drinking all night, meet a great girl, get her phone number and think, could life get any better? You wake up the next morning so hung over you can barely breathe, you get up enough energy to call the girl you met but she never answers your calls. This is what will happen to the 2007 Tigers. They are now the hunted team, no longer will they sneak up on teams, they are the defending AL champs, foes will be gunning for them.

Before last season, the Tigers were known as basement dwellers, there average win total in this decade is 68 wins, now we get an inflated win total based on last seasons overachieving results. Look for the Tigers to have a bumpy 2007.