The Boston Red Sox slipped below .500 Thursday night.
That would be good enough to compete at the top of, say, the AL Central, but Red Sox fans and Massachusetts sportsbooks know what it really means is last place in the loaded AL East.
If Boston (31-32) is going to start to make a move, a pivotal three-game road series this weekend at their hated rival, the New York Yankees (37-27), is a good place to start.
There are some positives with the latest Boston Red Sox odds, however.
The current odds leader for American League Rookie of the Year is Red Sox leftfielder Masataka Yoshida, who will have to step up his game even more if Boston is going to make a playoff push.
BetMassachusetts.com – your source for Massachusetts sports betting apps – looked at American League history and noted how seldom Boston actually has a Rookie of the Year.
In fact, if Yoshida wins the postseason award, he would be only the second Red Sox player this century to win the award. Dustin Pedroia was the top AL rookie in 2007.
Yoshida would join some big names in Boston history who have won the award.
Red Sox Rookie of the Year Winners
The complete list of Boston players to win American League Rookie of the Year:
- 1950: Walt Dropo, 1B
- 1961: Don Schwall, P
- 1972: Carlton Fisk, C
- 1975: Fred Lynn, OF
- 1997: Nomar Garciaparra, SS
- 2007: Dustin Pedroia, 2B
The Current Case for Yoshida
Yoshida, who turns 30 next month, spent seven productive seasons in Japan before joining Boston this season for his rookie MLB year.
Yoshida would join a list of Red Sox AL ROY winners that includes all-time Red Sox stars such as Carlton Fisk, Fred Lynn, Nomar Garciaparra and Pedroia.
Entering Friday night’s contest, Yoshida has 216 at-bats with 68 hits (.315 batting average), seven home runs, 33 RBI, 34 runs scored and three stolen bases. His on-base percentage is .387.
He ranks in the AL top 15 in five categories: batting average (3rd), hits (tied for 4th), on-base percentage (6th), 15 doubles (12th) and a .491 slugging percentage (14th).
AL Rookie of the Year Forecast
A Thursday check of FanDuel Massachusetts Sportsbook had Yoshida as the current favorite at +145. Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (+400) and Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Hunter Brown (+550) are second and third, respectively, and the only three-digit favorites on the board.
Over at BetMGM Massachusetts, Yoshida is also the favorite (+150) with 30% of the handle and 27% of the tickets held.
Jung is the second choice at +500 with 11.5% of the handle and 5.7% of the tickets. Brown is third (+600) with 2.6% of the tickets and 2.4% of the handle.
If you are looking to get in on this award, or even this weekend’s series, you can find a BetMGM bonus code Massachusetts bettors can use, and many others.
