July 14--Cubs rookie Kris Bryant gets slightly better odds of winning Monday night's Home Run Derby than teammate Anthony Rizzo does in several sports books, both there's no consensus on who's the favorite.
Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Pederson has hit 20 home runs already this season and William Hill US, which runs the most sports books in Nevada, has him as a 7-2 favorite. Bryant ties Toronto's Josh Donaldson for second at 9-2. Rizzo is set at 13-2 and Baltimore's Manny Machado brings up the rear at 17-2.
But on Bovada.lv's board, Pederson shares the top spot with the Angels' Albert Pujols and Texas' Prince Fielder. Westgate packs all eight contestants in close proximity, with Bryant, Pujols and Cincinnati's Todd Frazier at 5-1 holding a slim margin on "longshots" Pederson and Machado, both 7-1.
Forbes noted Pederson has a 25 percent chance of winning the Derby, the highest projection based on 10,000 simulations run by MLB Advanced Media. Based on its model, Bryant has a 19 percent chance of going home with the title and Rizzo's odds are just 2 percent.
Twenty-four percent of bets at William Hill's sports books have been placed on Pederson, the most of any of the eight players participating in the home-running hitting contest. Rizzo and Bryant are tied at 7 percent of bets, though they account for just 2 and 1 percent of the overall money wagered, respectively.
In this season's new bracket-style format, Bryant faces Pujols, and they're even money, though 71 percent of bets are riding with Pujols. Rizzo is an underdog to Donaldson, and 57 percent of the bets and 94 percent of the money have been put on Donaldson.
plthompson@chicagotribune.com
