Baseball season is almost here and that means one thing – it’s time for some props!
The Toronto Blue Jays enter this season on the heels of making the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and now everyone, including Vegas, has bigger expectations for them.
After signing Hyun-Jin Ryu last year, Toronto made a big splash for the second off-season in a row, adding George Springer to a lineup that already had some serious upside.
The 2017 World Series MVP joins a core that includes Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Aside from the big splash of Springer, the additions of Steven Matz and Marcus Semien tied to the expected growth from the rest of the lineup has the Blue Jays in the same conversation as the game’s best teams.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at where Toronto stacks up in World Series / divisional odds, and take a look at some individual player props.
WORLD SERIES
Believe it or not, Toronto enters the season with just the seventh-shortest odds to win the World Series.
Sitting at +2200, the Blue Jays are tied with the Houston Astros holding the fourth-best odds of any American League team to win the title, trailing the New York Yankees (+550), Chicago White Sox (+900), and Minnesota Twins (+1800).
Toronto’s odds to win the World Series have not been this low since they entered the 2016 season at +1450.
AL EAST
We have a clear-cut favourite to win the AL East this season, and it’s the New York Yankees.
Despite finishing second in the AL East last season, New York currently sits at -165 to win the division, with a wide margin between them and the Jays – who sit with the second-shortest odds.
Toronto and the Tampa Bay Rays are neck-and-neck, with the Jays sitting at +400 and Tampa Bay not far behind at +450.
The Boston Red Sox (+2000) and Baltimore Orioles (+6600) enter the season as longshots to make noise within the division.
The Blue Jays have won the division just once in the last 27 years, with their only win coming in 2015 when they opened the season at +330 to do so.
PLAYER TOTALS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: O/U .295 AVG, 27.5 HR, 95.5 RBI
Is this the season Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shows the league what all the hype was about?
Vegas says yes.
Through two seasons with the Blue Jays, Guerrero Jr. has a .269 batting average, 24 home runs and 102 runs batted in over the span of 183 total games.
His numbers average out to 21 home runs and 90 runs batted in over the course of 162 games.
The 22-year-old tore the cover off the ball in Spring Training, with a .421 batting average. And while we all know that doesn’t lead to a direction correlation of a monster season, it’s a positive start to a big season for one of the game’s up-and-coming stars.
Baseball Reference has Guerrero Jr. projected to hit .269 with 20 HR and 80 RBI.
George Springer: O/U .280 AVG, 33.5 HR, 90.5 RBI
One of the best outfielders in the game is a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Springer, 31, hit 14 home runs last season in just 51 games, but had a batting average of below .280 for the second time in his last three seasons.
The three-time all-star has received MVP votes in 2017 and 2019 – both seasons which saw him hit more than 33 home runs with a batting average above .280.
In his seven seasons in the MLB, Springer has surpassed the 90 RBI mark just once.
Baseball Reference has Springer projected to hit .264 with 29 HR and 78 RBI.
Bo Bichette: O/U .284 AVG, 23.5 HR, 83.5 RBI
It’s only been 75 games in the MLB, but Bo Bichette probably couldn’t have scripted a better start to his career.
The shortstop has been fantastic with Toronto, and holds a career batting average of .307 and his 16 home runs through 75 games would have him on pace for 35 bombs over the course of 162 games.
Baseball Reference has Bichette projected to hit .286 with 17 home runs and 52 RBI.
Hyun-Jin Ryu: O/U 11.5 Wins, 165.5 strikeouts
Hyun-Jin Ryu’s first season in Toronto was solid.
The lefty made the transition to the AL East, making it look easy at times.
Ryu finished the season 5-2 with a 2.69 ERA and 72 strikeouts after his 12 starts.
His quality numbers helped lead Toronto back to the playoffs and landed him third in AL Cy Young voting.
He enters this season with the fifth-shortest odds to take home the Cy Young this season, with Gerrit Cole (+350) and Shane Bieber (+375) leading the pack.
Baseball Reference has Ryu projected to go 12-7 this season with 165 strikeouts in 168 innings.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
