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World Baseball Classic Best Bets Odds, Picks & Predictions: Monday (3/20)

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Here’s a look at Monday’s WBC semifinal between Japan and Mexico.

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Monday:

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Monday’s Best World Baseball Classic Bet

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Japan (-255) vs. Mexico (+215)

On Monday, Japan and Mexico will square off with a spot in the WBC Championship on the line. Angels SP Patrick Sandoval is taking the mound for Mexico, while the 21-year-old Roki Sasaki will start for Japan. In what should be a tightly contested game, I'm taking Mexico to win at +215.

This price is serious value for the Mexican team – getting plus-money on the team with a starting MLB pitcher on the mound is a bet I'll take any time. Patrick Sandoval posted a 2.91 ERA last season in 27 starts for the Angels with 9.1 K/9. He's a quality MLB starter by any measure and should give Mexico an edge in the starting pitcher matchup. Roki Sasaki is an excellent, hard-throwing young pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Baseball League. While Sasaki is very talented, his relative lack of experience at only 21 years old could be a liability on such a big stage.

Japan has more star power in their lineup, headlined by Shohei Ohtani. While Ohtani is, of course, one of the biggest baseball stars in the world, the Japanese lineup lacks the MLB talent top-to-bottom that the Mexican lineup boasts. Mexico's entire lineup is full of MLB players, with all nine starters from their last game owning spots on MLB rosters. The group is headlined by Randy Arozarena, star OF for the Tampa Bay Rays and one of the best players in the WBC so far.

All things considered, Mexico has the talent to hang with Japan despite their status as +215 underdogs. I'll take the ML and hope Mexico's MLB talent is enough to overcome Japan's star-studded roster.

Best Bet: Mexico ML (+215)

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