Previewing the World Series between the Rangers and Diamondbacks.

Critics complaining that the 2023 World Series has no juice, no national market aren’t paying attention.

Last I checked, the Dallas metroplex area and Phoenix were two of the biggest U.S. markets. What the critics are really saying is there’s no ‘traditional’ market participating in the World Series (read: no Northeast franchise).

Arizona and Texas should be a classic World Series between two young teams with bright young stars on both sides. Top American sportsbooks have deep markets on the World Series, including who will win the MVP award, prop bets on each game and the standard bets on each game.

Texas is the slight favorite at BetRivers Sportsbook and BetMGM with both books listing them at -175 to win the World Series. PointsBet has over 100 player prop bets open on Game 1 alone. Let’s break down how the series will go.

Snakes Alive

Arizona went 84-78 in the regular season and finished second in the NL West behind the Dodgers. Five of their nine main starters are under 25, led by NL Rookie of the Year candidate Chase Carroll.

The Diamondbacks weren’t supposed to be here. They weren’t supposed to beat the Brewers in the Wild Card Round, but they did. They weren’t supposed to beat the Dodgers in the NLDS, but they did, and they definitely weren’t supposed to beat the Phillies in Game 6 and Game 7 of the NLCS in Philly, but they did.

Youth is king. Snakes manager Torey Lovullo has pulled all the right strings in the post-season. Arizona’s bullpen has been fantastic and their top two pitchers Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen have been great.

Home on the Range

Texas being here is not as big a surprise as the Diamondbacks, but it’s still a bit of an upset. Texas went 90-72 in the regular season, and then got hot in the playoffs, taking down rival Houston in an epic seven-game ALCS.

Adolis Garcia is the hottest player in baseball at the moment, with three homers and nine RBI in his last six at-bats. The Rangers middle infield combo of Marcus Semien and Corey Seager are elite.

Texas has two aces in the club house in Nathan Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery, and wiley vet Max Scherzer waiting in the wings.

How Do They Match Up?

What do you believe in? Do you like the Diamondbacks confidence and seemingly magical ride that they’re on right now, or do you prefer the Rangers with homefield advantage?

Texas may have the advantage in starting pitching, but Arizona has a better bullpen. The line-ups are both loaded, so that’s a wash. Texas has the edge at manager, Bruce Bochy won three World Series titles when he was with the Giants.

There’s a reason the oddsmakers don’t have a big favorite in this one. I know they’re the underdog, but you have to love what Arizona has done the last few weeks. Texas slayed their dragon – the Astros – and I wonder if they will suffer a bit of an emotional let-down. Make sure you tune in to what should be another epic Fall Classic.

By:Darren Cooper

Born and raised in Louisiana, Darren Cooper has a fond appreciation for bayous, Mardi Gras beads and the sports betting industry. Darren has worked for multiple print and online publications since 1998, primarily as a sports columnist in the Northeast. He’s covered a Super Bowl (it was a blowout), the World Series (same) and the NBA Draft (man, those guys are tall). For the last few years he’s dug deep into the sports gambling industry as it exploded across America, learning how the legal sausage is made and how while all the sportsbooks look the same, they all have different identities and styles. He’s learned to always bet within his means -- and take the under. When not in front of his computer creating, Darren spends time with his three boys. He runs, reads and is always looking for the next big thing to write about.