5 Bets You Have To Make On The 2017 Chicago Cubs

According to pretty much every single season preview, the Chicago Cubs are going to be a nightmare for the rest of MLB. As good as they were in 2016, winning 103 games and you know, the World Series, they're projected to have an even better offense in 2017. Yes, despite losing Dexter Fowler via free agency and Jorge Soler through a trade, the Cubs enter 2017 with higher expectations. Yeah, they won the World Series, so it's tough to claim expectations are higher but that's what happens when you're the champion. It's all about staying on top now that you've climbed the mountain. Anyway, by most predictions, the Cubs are going to dominate once again and you know why not use the Cubs to put some extra cash in your wallet. So, the other day I was looking through Bovada while losing money on March Madness and I stumbled on some MLB season prop bets. I'm no expert, (obviously) but there are two Cubs related prop bets that you have to make because they're no-brainers. It's like Bovada is giving away free money. Anyway, I made a list of five prop bets from the site including the two you should bet your life on. Even if you're not into gambling, these give you a good idea of what odds makers think about certain players and how they project individual seasons to go.

Addison Russell o/u 20.5 Home Runs

HAHAHAHA! Stealing is bad, but in this case they're begging to be robbed, so take as much as you can. What an absurd number for Addison Russell. In his second MLB season, Russell hit 21 home runs at age 22. He still has to mature as a hitter, but the power is there. Yeah, it's only spring training, but Russell hit six home runs during exhibition play. Smash the over. Russell's going to get close to 30 home runs this year. Easy money.

Willson Contreras o/u 16.5 Home Runs

So, you know how Kyle Schwarber was a beast during his rookie season in 2015? He blasted 16 home runs in 273 plate appearances. Plus, another five home runs during that postseason. Anyway, there were a lot of exceptional performances in 2016, but Willson Contreras was somewhat overlooked. Despite that, he went toe-to-toe with Schwarber's rookie season.

Contreras now begins the season as the No. 1 catcher and are you kidding me with that 16.5 number? Over! Over! Over! He had less than 300 at-bats as a rookie and hit 12 dingers. Can he hit five more playing a full year? Hell yes. Take the over. You won't regret it. If you haven't guessed already, I think the Cubs are going to be kinda good and hit a lot of homers. That includes the aforementioned Kyle Schwarber.

Kyle Schwarber o/u 25.5 Home Runs

It doesn't matter that Schwarber will consistently be taken out late in games for a defensive replacement. He's batting leadoff, which means he'll have more at-bats anyway. Sure, you're skeptical and so was I when he came back for the World Series after missing six months recovering from two major surgeries and not facing MLB pitching. But then it happened. Schwarber not only came back, he was arguably the most important hitter in the Cubs lineup against the Indians. You can knock Schwarber all you want for his outfield play, although even that is exaggerated, but the man can hit and blast baseballs off to outer space. A total of 21 home runs, including the postseason, as a rookie in 304 plate appearances was extraordinary. No reason to think he won't be healthy, so give me the over on 25.5 home runs.

Ben Zobrist o/u .275 Batting Average

You're probably thinking I'm just taking every over associated with the Cubs, but I'm not a complete homer. There's one under I like and it's not as if it equates to Ben Zobrist having a bad year. Take 2016 for instance. Zobrist hit .272, but had a marvelous year leading the team with a .386 OBP. Anyway, in 11 seasons Zobrist has only hit .275 or above three times. The super utility man batted .276 in 2015, with the A's and Royals, .275 in 2013 and .297 in 2009, as a member of the Rays. Plus, Zobrist's playing time is going to take somewhat of a hit because Javier Baez is a god and has to be in the field more often. Less action could mess with his swing, but Zobrist will remain valuable because of his great eye at the plate. However, in this case, take the under on Zobrist batting .275 this year. He's 35-years-old, so it's smart to think you'll see some regression from Zobrist.

Anthony Rizzo o/u 100.5 RBIs

What did Anthony Rizzo do once he had better players around him in the lineup? Drive in runs in bunches. He's going to have Kyle Schwarber and Kris Bryant hitting in front of him who will get on base a lot, so once again Rizzo will have plenty of chances to drive in runs. Rizzo had 101 and 109 RBIs in 2015 and 2016, respectively, so I don't see any reason why he won't be able to eclipse the century mark this season. Sure, Rizzo will go into his slumps, but when comes out of them he's a hitting machine. Take the over on 100.5 RBIs.

More Cubs Prop Bets

All right, so the first five are all bets I feel really good about, but there are a whole bunch more you can pick from. These, I don't have a strong gage on which side to choose for the most part. Jason Heyward o/u .259 batting average I mean, I hope it's over .259, but it's not like Jason Heyward has been a high average hitter during his career and he's coming off one of the worst seasons imaginable. That being said, if I had to pick, it'd be over. There's just no way Heyward can be as bad as he was last year. Right? Yeah. I think. Maybe. Kris Bryant 36.5 Home Runs 109.5 Runs Scored .290 Batting Average 105.5 RBIs I think I feel most confident in over .290 batting average. Kris Bryant has been working on hitting the ball to right field more often this offseason. That was essentially his lone flaw during his 2016 MVP campaign. So, after hitting .292 last season, I think he makes more contact and gets close to .300. That in turn could make his home run total go down from 39. Not by a lot, but it's hard hitting 40 home runs in a season during this era. I don't doubt for a second that Bryant can eclipse the 36.5 home run mark, but it's not a sure thing in my mind. Also, safe bets to take the over on runs scored. Now, let's get into some over/under prop bets for pitchers. Wade Davis o/u 38.5 Saves Under? The Cubs are going to blowout a lot of teams just like they did last year, so I don't see a lot of save opportunities for Wade Davis. Aroldis Chapman and Hector Rondon combined for 34 saves in 2016. Plus, factor in that Davis is coming off some arm issues and there's at least a little fear that he could breakdown during the season. Even if he doesn't, Davis could have a great year and still not get more than 38 saves. He's been the best reliever over the past three years, but 2016 was his first season as the outright closer for the Royals. John Lackey o/u 12 Wins Yes, the win stat for pitchers doesn't measure how good that pitcher is, but it can still help you make money. I'd take the under here because at 38-years-old, Lackey might be running out of gas. He missed time near the end of 2016, and wasn't good in the postseason. He won 11 games out of his 29 starts, but despite how great I think the Cubs offense will be, I also see Lackey exiting games earlier. That leaves more time for the bullpen to potentially give up a lead, or simply means Lackey's been hit pretty good. That being said, it could be over because the Cubs offense will be bonkers and all Lackey will need is five innings to qualify for the victory even if he didn't pitch well. Jon Lester 3.05 ERA 199.5 Strikeouts 15.5 Wins Jake Arrieta 2.99 ERA 210.5 Strikeouts 16.5 Wins Kyle Hendricks 2.89 ERA 14.5 Wins I have no clue how Jake Arrieta will pitch in 2017, which is kind of scary. If he pitches like he did last year that's more than fine for the Cubs because no one can expect his ridiculous Cy Young season again. Yet, what if he continues to regress and he can't duplicate his arm release and has more control problems? We're talking about more pitches thrown and less innings. As someone on Twitter mentioned the other day, it could be a terrible flashback to Rich Harden. No gage on Arrieta. I hope he's great and he'll still have a low batting average against because he has great stuff, but I just don't know if his command will be great all year long. It'll be interesting to see how Jon Lester pairs up with Willson Contreras. I don't think it'll be a problem, but it could take some time to adjust. Anyway, for no reason other than Lester is a killer on the mound, I'd take the under 3.05 ERA. He's so good working the edges and knows what he has to do to get guys out even if he's not throwing as hard as other pitchers. Also, take the over on wins for Kyle Hendricks. He showed a lot during the postseason and yes although Joe Maddon pulled him early in Game 7 of the World Series, I think the manager will give Hendricks a longer leash starting this year. The Cubs are going to win a lot of games, so 15 for Hendricks, going up against four or five starters is a good bet. That was fun, but if you haven't had enough check out the odds for Cubs players winning awards.

Odds To Win 2017 NL MVP Award

Kris Bryant +300 (favorite) Anthony Rizzo +900 Kyle Schwarber +3300 Addison Russell +5000

2017 MLB Home Run Leader

Kris Bryant +1000 Kyle Schwarber +1800 Anthony Rizzo +2800 Addison Russell +10000

Odds To Win 2017 NL Cy Young Award

Jake Arrieta +1600 Jon Lester +1600 Kyle Hendricks +3300 Check out all the odds here.  Oh, silly me. I almost forgot. The Cubs are also favored to win the World Series. No big deal. Make sure to follow along @AldoSoto21 all season long. Cubs highlights, more Cubs highlights, maybe some funny tweets. It's a good time. Baseball season is back and the Cubs are World Series champions.