As we head into the 2010 baseball season every bettor and fan knows that there are certain pitchers who are likely to have strong seasons. Names like Felix Hernandez, CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay and Tim Linecum are some that will come to mind. For baseball bettors that doesn't really do much, however, as most of those pitchers will be going off as large favorites in the majority of their starts. Knowing a team will win 67-percent of a pitcher's starts won't be profitable in the long run if you are consistently laying -200, or greater, when they take the mound.

The key for baseball bettors is to find those pitchers who will come into the season a bit under the radar, so that when they do win, they will do so at decent odds. With that in mind, we'll look at our top five sleeper pitchers for 2010.

5. Mat Latos, San Diego Padres Latos had an up-and-down rookie season and is currently battling for the No. 5 spot in the Padres rotation after missing a spring training start with an elbow injury. Up until the injury, he had been throwing well, with an ERA of less than 2.00. The Padres were 5-5 in his 10 starts last season. Several bad outings led to him posting a 4.56 ERA for the year, but with some experience, is likely to do better this season.

4. Ricky Nolasco, Florida Marlins Nolasco had a brutal ERA of 5.06 in 2009, but was better in the win-loss department, where the Marlins were 18-13 in games he started. He allowed seven or more earned runs five times in 2009, which led to his dismal statistics. Nolasco finished the season strong and if bettors pay too much attention to that ERA, we should be able to cash some tickets at decent prices.

3. Chad Billingsley, Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw is probably the sexy pick for a Dodger pitcher to have a breakthrough season, but my money will be on Billingsley, who fell out of favor with manager Joe Torre down the stretch. It wasn't particularly justified, however, as Billingsley didn't allow more than for earned runs in any of his last 10 starts. It was more a case of a slumping offense that scored two runs or less in five of Billingsley's final 10 starts. The Dodgers were 17-15 in Billingsley's 2009 starts and that should improve in 2010, while it's likely to see more favorable prices when Billingsley takes the mound, especially in the early going.

2. Brett Anderson, Oakland Athletics Anderson had a solid debut season in 2009, going 11-11 with a 4.06 ERA. His ERA was 5.77 on June 15 and he pitched better down the stretch, especially the final month of the season where he won four of his final decisions. The A's were 14-16 in Anderson's 2009 starts and should win more than they lose with him on the hill in 2010. Anderson was an underdog in 18 of his 30 starts last year, a trend which would be nice to see continue, but likely will not.

1. Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds This should be the year that Cueto lives up to his potential, as the 24-year-old hard-throwing pitcher has several years of experience under his belt. When he's on his game, Cueto is as nasty as they come, but his inconsistency has been evident at times. The Reds were 16-14 in Cueto's 2009 starts, including 8-7 as underdogs, which is always a good sign. Cueto did drop his ERA from 4.81 in 2008 to 4.41 last season and it should drop again, as he's slowly making the transition from merely being a thrower to being a pitcher.
 

Mike Anthony

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