Baseball bettors looking for a little value on next month’s World Baseball Classic would be wise to avoid wagering on the favorite and instead take a hard look at the second and third choices to win the tournament at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
That is because former champions the Dominican Republic (+250) and Japan (+300) are both sitting behind the favored United States (+200) on the betting board.
The Dominicans topped Puerto Rico 3–0 in the 2013 final hosted in San Francisco, with second baseman Robinson Cano earning MVP honors. Starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka had led the Japanese to the 2006 and 2009 titles as the MVP each time, and he was a member of the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox in between.