Bryce Harper to hit .275 this year for the Phillies is just one of the odd baseball props bookies are offering

Regional betting is part of the reason Bryce Harper is a 4-1 favorite in local sportsbooks to win the National League MVP. Another is that he loves hitting at Citizens Bank Park.

But even outside the Delaware Valley, bookmakers are hot for Harper. He is the co-favorite for NL MVP at 5-1 with Colorado star Nolan Arenado at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.

Evan Davis, vice president and general counsel at SugarHouse in Fishtown, said his place is seeing action on Harper hitting more than 34.5 home runs and that the Phillies to win the World Series is its second-most-popular futures bet behind only the Sixers to win the NBA title. Sigh. The optimism of spring.

>>Odds for Division, LCS, World Series and win totals: National League | American League

“We have enormous liability in Pennsylvania on the Phillies,” said Jeff Davis, director of trading for Caesars Entertainment, the parent company of Harrah’s casino in Chester. Davis did not get into specifics financially, but said they have written 14 times as many tickets on the Phillies to win the World Series than the second-most team, the Yankees.

Davis said he wasn’t seeing much on Harper’s home-run total, “because the smaller bettor doesn’t want to put their money out for that long for essentially an even-money proposition.”

Good point.

For immediacy, FanDuel at the Valley Forge casino is offering a 3-1 prop on whether Harper will hit a home run on opening day. Harper has homered in four of six openers with Washington, and he has banged eight homers (in 52 plate appearances) off Braves right-hander Julio Teheran, most of any pitcher he’s faced.

>>Free Inquirer contest: Pick the score and how many homers Bryce Harper will hit in Thursday’s opener

>> Guide to Citizens Bank Park: How to get there, parking info, where to eat and drink

But perhaps the most unusual prop being offered on Harper comes from PointsBet, which has mobile rights in New Jersey. It’s one of those long-term, even-money bets that isn’t always popular.

Will Harper hit better than .274 for the season? Bettors must lay $112 to win $100 on either yes or no. Wouldn’t recommend playing it, but it will be interesting to monitor these next six months. The only condition is that Harper needs one plate appearance to make the bet live. Heaven help us if he makes only one plate appearance.

A couple other funky prop bets that are out there in local retail outlets or New Jersey online wagering:

>>DraftKings has Rhys Hoskins (-$139 to win $100) favored to hit more home runs than Harper ($100 to win +$105). They also have Aaron Nola (-132) favored to register more strikeouts than Patrick Corbin (+100). Corbin was courted by the Phillies before signing with Washington.

>>FanDuel has set the over/under on Harper’s home runs for the season at 33.5, with the over favored at -135 against the under of +110. Nola is a 32-1 long shot to lead the majors in wins. Boston’s Chris Sale and Washington’s Max Scherzer are favored at 13-2.

>>Parx has the Phillies even odds to make the playoffs. Bet $20 to win $20.

>>PointsBet is giving 2-1 on J.T. Realmuto to hit 25 or more home runs. The new Phillies catcher hit a career-high 21 last season. Wouldn’t mind seeing those odds at 3-1 or better.

More baseball odds are below.

Bookmaker William Hill-US, which has operations nationwide, took a $500 bet on Sunday on the Orioles to win the World Series at 1,000-1. Last week, someone laid $200 on the Marlins, also at 1,000-1. In October, when the 2019 World Series odds opened, somebody plunked down $15,000 on Washington at 22-1. The payout would be $330,000. Today, WHUS has the Nats at 13-1. A bet of $15,000 would be worth $195k. . . . FanDuel’s New Jersey app is running something called a “Local Lock.” Put a $25 money line bet on the Phillies and get an extra $5 for every run they win by . . . Parx and SugarHouse have the odds of Friday’s Sweet 16 game between Duke and Virginia Tech going to overtime at 13-1. Virginia Tech won the regular-season meeting against the Dookies in Blacksburg, Va. The Devils were without Zion Williamson, however.

via SugarHouse / Parx