With Major League Baseball Spring Training getting underway this week with pitchers and catchers reporting, we are moving closer to the regular season and MLB Colorado sports betting.
It made us wonder, which MLB team has done the best job at drafting and keeping talent in their city. Utilizing FanGraphs.com, BetColorado.com found the number of homegrown players on each MLB projected 40-man roster for the upcoming season. Here is who is investing in homegrown talent:
MLB Teams with Most Homegrown Talent
The best sports betting apps in Colorado list the Los Angeles Dodgers as the World Series favorite at +360. Atlanta is second at +600.
Rockies Have Homegrown Core
With a solid 24 players (60%) on the roster, the Colorado Rockies come in second on the list, one player behind the top team, Cleveland with 25 (62.5%).
The Rockies (59-103, .364, 41 games behind) finished last in the five-team National League West Division last season and ares obviously looking to rebuild and solidify a foundation from within.
Two other teams within their division: Arizona (20, 50%) and San Francisco (19, 47.5%) also made the top 10 list. Proof is in the pudding as Arizona last year won the National League for the first time since 2001 and advanced to the World Series, before losing to the eventual champion Texas Rangers, 4-1, in the best-of-seven series. BetMGM Colorado lists the Diamondbacks with +3500 odds to win this year’s World Series.
Five key players are building the Rockies foundation. Veteran designated hitter Charlie Blackmon has been with Colorado since 2011 and entering his 14th season he has 1,690 hits, 215 home runs, 749 RBI and a .296 career batting average. Third baseman Ryan McMahon enters his eighth season in the Rocky Mountains and last season had 133 hits, 23 home runs, 70 RBI and a .240 batting average. These two players alone have been in Colorado a combined 22 seasons.
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar enters his third season in Denver after his first full season with the club. He had 15 HRs, 73 RBI, 11 SB and a .253 batting average in 2023. Pitcher Kyle Freeland begins his eighth season with his hometown team after a 6-14 record with a 5.03 ERA in 2023. Freeland is five wins away from 60 in his career. Second baseman Brendan Rodgers begins his sixth season in Colorado after four HRs, 20 RBI and a .258 batting average last season.
In all, five players with 37 combined seasons with one team. Success and improvement must come as the experience is already there.
Bet365 Rockies Futures
A quick glance at future odds over at Bet365 Colorado:
- World Series winner: 150-1 (ahead of only the Oakland Athletics at 300-1)
- National League champion: 75-1 (worst odds on the board)
- NL West Division winner: 125-1 (fifth of five teams)
- To make the playoffs: Yes (22-1), No (-25000)
- Regular season over/under total: Over 59.5 (-120), Under 59.5 (-110)
