Winning in the Dugout: MLB Betting Guide

Back 20 years ago, Cal Raleigh had a video of an eight-year-old version of him, where he went on to hammer a toy baseball with his toy bat and said that he is the Home Run Derby champ. Alas, that moment would turn out to be a premonition as the Seattle Mariners star became this year’s Home Run Derby champion thanks to his massive performance.

Making history in the premier power-hitting event of the MLB, it does seem that Raleigh was expected to win it all when the video was leaked. The Mariners star joined Ken Griffey Jr. (1994, 1998, 1999) as the only players to ever win the Home Run Derby in franchise history. He is also the first catcher in the league to achieve the said feat.

Raleigh is the league’s leader in power hitting, so it made perfect sense that he was going to be a candidate in the contest despite being a designated catcher to begin with. Still, it was not enough to stop him from fulfilling one of the best performances in the game. Now he’s a historic winner of the Home Run Derby, and that stays forever.

A Promising Finish for Raleigh

Raleigh topped off the MLB with the most home runs nailed before the All-Star Break at 38. That is more than any other player in the history of the sport at that point, save for Barry Bonds, who had 39 back in 2001. That says a lot about how Raleigh has been really good when it comes to putting up an impressive campaign of hitting homers.

“I mean, I don't know where they found that thing in the archives. Yeah, just kind of surreal. You don't think you're going to win it. You don't think you'll ever get invited. Then you get invited. The fact that you win it with your family, super special. Just what a night.”

Raleigh finished the Home Run Derby with 17 homers in the pool round, setting him up as the no. 4 seed among the final four hitters in play. The Mariners star would go on to knock off a homer at 470.62 feet, which ended up with him closely staving off any chances of more tiebreakers to play in the game.

“My goodness gracious, that's close,” Raleigh said. “It’s just crazy. An inch off, and I'm not even in the final four, which is amazing. So I guess I got lucky there. One extra biscuit.”

Cherishing the Moment

The moment of truth with Raleigh finishing with the Home Run Derby title was just a surreal experience not just for him, but also for his family. No one has experienced more nostalgia at this point than his father, Todd Raleigh Sr. – who took the said video of the young Cal.

“When you're a parent, you look at it differently because you want your kids to be happy,” Todd Sr. said. “I can't say how lucky and blessed I am. Everybody that plays baseball, every dad knows, I could have been that guy. Cal could have been that player. To do it as a family has been really special.”

Thankfully, this finish for Raleigh will now set him as one of the legends that the game will remember for years to come. For a catcher to come up with a strong win in the Home Run Derby is a statement as to how flexible his game has become, and how impressive his two-way game has emerged at this point for the Mariners.

When one of the losing teams in the American League gets the first overall pick, you know they’re going to get the best talent possible. So when the Washington Nationals brought in Eli Willits with the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, it was expected that the feedback would be great enough to raise expectations for the club moving forward.

A promising selection out of Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Oklahoma, the 17-year-old shortstop proved to be one of the best talents out in this year’s draft class, and he was one of the youngest true prospects from the 2025 class after reclassifying from the class of ‘26 as well.

Initially, no one would be impressed that the Nats brought in a very young player who may not do enough or even more to help the club get back on track and regain its footing on the big stage – and rise to domination once more. Still, there’s a lot of hope from such a talented player in Willits to prove his worth, and he is going to get that chance now more than ever.

Preparing for a New Dawn

Before the draft came in, the Nationals actually worked out to make massive changes in their management. The team fired general manager Mike Rizzo and even manager Dave Martinez. Mike DeBartolo – who has been the club’s assistant GM for years – was elevated to interim GM for his long service since 2012.

DeBartolo then brought in some big names to come up with new staff – amateur scouting Danny Haas; senior director, amateur scouting Brad Ciolek; and assistant director and national crosschecker, amateur scouting Reed Dunn.

“I would say he was our top guy throughout the process. We had our eye on him throughout,” said DeBartolo. “… He was the guy we wanted all along, and we’re really excited that it worked out so well. Eli was the top guy on our board. It's one of those nice things where the scouts and the analysts see things exactly the same way and saw him as the best hitter in the Draft.”

That preparation eventually led them to see the prime talent in Willits – who was definitely their best expected pick ever since the offseason began for the team, and now it seems that the Oklahoma talent is going to make waves in the game moving forward.

Is Willits a Good Selection?

To be fair, Eli Willits does deserve a lot of praise for his impressive game and how he can actually find his way to the top of the squad and make a strong impact to the Nationals’ redemption hopes. After all, it is not always that a rebuilding club would bring in the first pick of the draft.

Based on his highlights, Willits has a good amount of speed and a strong arm to keep him at the ready. He also has massive instincts on the field, which should definitely make him a great performer to look out for now more than ever.

“I want to be described as a guy that plays harder than everyone else,” Willits. “But at the end of the day, I want to be described as a great human being that is good to people off the field and good to teammates.”

Should Willits turn out to be a great performer as projected by the team, then the Nationals would have a great chance to get back on their winning pattern and finally redeem their worth on the big stage.

When you least expect it, the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system is coming to make an appearance in the upcoming MLB All-Star Game this year. As it is slated to be a permanent addition next year, it is expected that the challenge system will be implemented to cover the whole game and detect potential bugs before refining it ahead of the 2026 run.

So far, the ABS Challenge System is slated to make a full appearance in the 2026 run. It was already used in the previous Spring Training, which earned it mixed reception to its functionality and usability. Using it in the All-Star Game, in which the best of the best will play, should significantly lead to more research data about the efficacy of the system moving forward.

The ABS system is one of the latest umpire innovations in sports. The EPL has implemented the VAR for these same purposes, and the ATP Tour employs instant review with AI. The NBA, on the other hand, has a variety of review centers for game analyses. Should the ABS system prove successful, it may well set the standard for the AI-assisted refereeing in the United States, and should push further innovation among other leagues in the country.

How Does the ABS System Work?

More known as the “robo-ump” system, the ABS challenge system, serves as a high-tech method for calling pitches that takes human error (and human subjectivity) out of the equation. It’s not a physical robot behind the plate, but a system of cameras, radar, and software that determines – accurately and instantly – whether a pitch is a ball or a strike.

Multiple high-speed cameras and radar units (like Hawk-Eye) are installed around the stadium. They track the ball from the pitcher’s hand to the catcher’s mitt with extreme precision, speed, spin, trajectory, and location. As soon as the ball crosses the plate, the ABS determines whether it touched any part of the strike zone. The call, whether it is a ball or strike, is made in real time.

Pitchers, catchers, and hitters are the only ones who may initiate the challenge as soon as the pitch happens. Players will tap their hats or helmets to the umpire should they want to challenge. Any form of assistance from the dugout or even other players in the field are not allowed.

Based on a poll back in Spring Training, around 72% of fans say that the ABS system is on a positive side. An estimated 69% of the fans want it to be part of the game moving forward, while 10% do not want it to be implemented in the MLB.

ABS and Sports Betting

Whether you believe it or not, the ABS system stands as a positive development for sports betting, particularly because it increases accuracy, consistency, and transparency. These pillars of a promising betting environment enables bigger opportunities for fans and punters alike.

By allowing teams to challenge a limited number of ball-strike calls per game, the system helps correct egregious mistakes while still keeping the human element intact. For bettors, this means fewer blown calls impacting props like total strikeouts, walks, or runs scored. It also reduces the variability caused by inconsistent umpires, which sharpens betting lines and creates a fairer playing field.

Additionally, the presence of challenges introduces new live betting opportunities and adds drama to key at-bats. However, because challenges are limited, not every bad call will be overturned, and some inconsistency may still affect outcomes. Plus, the system slightly diminishes the value of pitch framing, which could impact certain catcher-related props or fantasy scoring.