Construction of a Predictive Model for MLB Matches

Abstract

The main purpose of this article was to define a model that could defeat the online bookmakers’ odds, where the betting item considered was the first five innings of major league baseball (MLB) matches. The betting odds of online bookmakers have two purposes: first, they are used to quantify the amount of profit made by the bettors; second, they are regarded as a market equilibrium point between multiple bookmakers and bettors. If the bettors have a more accurate prediction model than the system used to produce betting odds, it will create a positive expected return for the bettors. In this article, we used the Markov process method and the runner advancement model to estimate the expected runs in an MLB match for the teams based on the batting lineup and the pitcher.

Keywords

• betting odds
• implied probability
• Markov process
• runner advancement model
• expected return