MLB Bettors Have To Be Smart Betting Managers
Hyde, Martinez Lead List of Managers Who've Smashed Moneyline BettingÂ

Finding Major League Baseball numbers to help bettors consistently win over the summer has been a difficult task because of our friend the moneyline.
We could easily find winners consistently enough but the books require managing your money that trip up most.
Today, we’ll examine which managers have allowed us to be on the right side through the years and which skippers are bankroll killers.
Let’s begin our MLB managers and moneylines analysis with a few managers and their success at producing profits.
The Best Managers to Bet May Surprise Bettors
We’re aware of the success that Brandon Hyde has had with the Baltimore Orioles over the last two MLB seasons, compiling a record of 170-99 (.632), making the 6th year manager the most profitable in that time.
- Hyde (+44.37 units) has been so consistent that his 261-185 (+68.38) mark over the previous three seasons is 47.67 units better than Dusty Baker (234-147) who has a net profit of +20.71 units since 2022 with the Houston Astros.
Then the surprise begins. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would name Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez as the second most profitable manager since 2023. Martinez is far into the black for bettors with 38.49 units won, almost 25 more than Stephen Vogt of the Cleveland Guardians (+13.85).
The problem with betting on Martinez and the Nationals is you must be prepared to lose to win. Since their World Series win in 2019, Washington has failed to make their way back into the MLB playoffs and has lost key free agents off that club, like Juan Soto to throw a name out there, winning just 287 times while suffering 407 losses (.414).
- They were so bad between 2020 and 2022 that only the Arizona Diamondbacks (-56.62) dug a bigger hole for the betting public than Washington (-56.38).
So what do we mean by preparing to lose to win? Unlike Baltimore, the National are just 124-144 (.463) over the last two seasons, clearly showing that their power to a bankroll is as an underdog.
Their 108-135 record (.444) as a dog has been enough to conjure up 34.94 units of profit, the best mark in Major League Baseball. Vogt, in his first season as a manager, is third in managerial profit with 13.85 units won.
The top five MLB managers against the moneyline over the last two seasons round out with AJ Hinch (+13.56) of the Detroit Tigers and Pat Murphy (+7.92) of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Some Managers Are Automatic Go-Against for Now
Things can change overnight for some managers, but for now, bettors should consider going against Pedro Griffol (Chicago White Sox), Mark Kotsay (Oakland Athletics), and Bob Melvin (San Francisco Giants). Grifol is in his second season with the Chicago White Sox, the biggest dumpster fire in the bigs.
The Sox would have cost a consistent Sox bettor 72.07 units of profit with 64.81 of that coming as an underdog, meaning Chicago should never be on your betting card.
Speaking of big messes, the Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas/we want to play eight MLB games somewhere other than Vegas, are 94-172 (.353) since 2023 with 34.13 units lost. To give you an idea of how bad it’s been by the bay, in those 266 games oddsmakers have made the Athletics favorites 22 times.
Speaking of Bay Area MLB teams, Bob Melvin was hired this season to push the Giants back to where they were in 2021 when they won 107 games instead of flirting with .500 as they have over the last two seasons.
So far, the three-time manager of the year is just 40-44 (-6.39 units) with San Francisco and the previous season with the San Diego Padres, adding to a two-year record of 133-136 (-31.97). The bottom five includes Buck Showalter, who is not managing this season (-30.89) with the New York Mets, and Skip Shumaker (-27.49) with Miami.
Small Favorite Success Separates Managers for Bettors
After breaking down the MLB managers and moneylines history, there has to be a clear strategy to being on the right side of MLB scores consistently and there is.
- The goal is to build our bankroll through winning without laying massive numbers with the best teams. Let’s put our money line filter on favorites of -107 to -150.
This season, Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees is 20-9 as a smaller dog followed by Hynes (24-13) and Mark Kotsay (10-3). Those three managers are 54-25 (.684) and 26-10 (.722) as a home favorite. Follow this trend for now, but like everything in baseball, the tide will go back out again.
In case you’re wondering, the most bankroll-friendly manager to wager on since 2005 was Mike Scioscia (Angels) after compiling a 604-430 mark while profiting 49.13 units when the moneyline was less than -150 as a favorite. The three-time World Series champion last managed in 2018.
The worst is Bud Black, the current manager with the Colorado Rockies, is 380-344 (,525) since 2007 but -38.21 against the moneyline as a small favorite. All the best with your MLB picks and parlays.
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