I always enjoy handicapping the All-Star Game. There are a wide assortment of props available on the game, some of which offer great value. My preferred method of handicapping the props is trying to gauge how long each of the starters figure to play. As you know, there's a constant influx of new players once you get past the 3rd inning. Factors you can use to handicap this are as follows:

(a) Find out how many backups there are at each position, and who they are.

(b) Find out which players are nursing an injury. Hanley Ramirez, for instance.

(c) Consider the manager, and how much playing time he might give to his own players. They tend to get a bit more than average.

(d) Consider the game's location, in this case Yankee Stadium. Yankees (and perhaps Mets) figure to play longer.


Oftentimes you can find a head-to-head player matchup where one player figures to get an extra at-bat, or even two. That's huge.

Here are some props from the Las Vegas Hilton:


TOTAL NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PLAYERS TO THROW A PITCH:
OVER 16.5 -150
UNDER 16.5 +130

TOTAL STRIKEOUTS BY: BOTH TEAMS
OVER 13.5 -110
UNDER 13.5 -110

TOTAL RUNS+HITS+ERRORS BY: BOTH TEAMS
OVER 30.5 -110
UNDER 30.5 -110

TOTAL HOME RUNS BY: BOTH TEAMS
OVER 2.5 -150
UNDER 2.5 +130

TOTAL NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PLAYERS TO GET A HIT:
OVER 15.5 -140
UNDER 15.5 +120

WILL EITHER TEAM SCORE IN THE 1ST INNING?
YES -120
NO EVEN

MOST HITS+RUNS
HANLEY RAMIREZ +115
ICHIRO SUZUKI -135

MOST HITS+RUNS+RBI'S
CHIPPER JONES -110
MILTON BRADLEY -110

MOST HITS+RUNS+RBI'S
ALBERT PUJOLS +125
ALEX RODRIGUEZ -145

MOST HITS+RUNS+RBI'S
CHASE UTLEY EVEN
DEREK JETER -120

MOST TOTAL BASES
(Single=1, Double=2, Triple=3, Home Run=4, All Else=0)
LANCE BERKMAN +110
JOSH HAMILTON -130

MOST HITS+RBI'S
RYAN BRAUN +105
KEVIN YOUKILIS -125

MOST HITS+RBI'S
MATT HOLLIDAY +105
MANNY RAMIREZ -125

WILL JOSH HAMILTON STRIKEOUT AT LEAST ONCE?
YES +170
NO -200

WILL ALEX RODRIGUEZ HIT A HOME RUN?
YES +400
NO -600

WILL LANCE BERKMAN HIT A HOME RUN?
YES +500
NO -700

WILL CHIPPER JONES GET AT LEAST 1 RBI?
YES +200
NO -240

WILL ANY PLAYER GET EXACTLY 3 HITS?
YES +170
NO -190

Regarding the Youkilis/Braun prop, i would side with Youkilis because there's only one first baseman on the bench behind him (Morneau), and the AL is being managed by Francona (who figures to give more time to his own players). The big problem however is that Youkilis left Sunday's game after being hit in the arm by a pitch. If he's anything less than 100%, Francona (with the Red Sox's interests in mind) might sit him early.


I definitely favor Ichiro in the Ichiro/Ramirez prop, because Ramirez missed Sunday's game with a sore shoulder, and there's been some question as to his status for the All-Star Game. The latest i've heard (from the Miami Herald) is that "all systems are go", but of course starting the game and playing well into-it are two different matters. The other factor is that there are 3 shortstops on the NL roster (Tejada and Guzman being the others), so Hanley probably figures to leave kinda soon anyway. Ichiro, if memory serves, tends to last about as long as anybody in these All-Star Games, and there are only 3 outfield reserves on the AL roster. I think Ichiro should have at least 1 extra at-bat over Ramirez, perhaps two.

I would look at Pujols in that Arod/Pujols matchup, because there are 3 third basemen on the bench behind Arod. That being said, the game is in Yankee Stadium, and none of the 3 reserves (Crede, Guillen, Longoria) are big stars.