The Major League Baseball Season has taken over the spot light in the sporting world. While many sports enthusiast are still watching the final weeks of the NBA season, for baseball enthusiast the wait is over. The 2009 MLB season has a good month under its belt as we continue to get a grasp of what to expect through out the rest of the year. One of the always interesting aspects of professional baseball is the league’s home run hitters. The guys who have been able to hit the long ball have always packed the stands and provided excitement for viewers. In today’s modern day game, nearly every player has the ability to hit a 400 plus foot home run during any game. However, there are still those who continuously find ways to knock the ball into the stands putting fear into opponents with every swing of the bat. One very interesting MLB Prop Bet for 2009 is which player will finish the season with the most home runs? We break down and rank the top power hitters in Major League Baseball while providing some insight on who may possibly end the seasons with the most home runs.

You will find odds next to each homerun hitter which are the current futures odds for that particular player to finish the season with the most home runs on the year. These are the current odds at BetUS Sportsbook as of May 3, 2009.  BetUS Sportsbook offers Bankroll Spots readers and customers a 100% signup bonus (up to $500) on all deposits by credit card when you use any BetUS link on the Bankroll Sports blog.

No. 1 – Ryan Howard +500 (Philadelphia Phillies)

Ryan Howard burst onto the Major League Baseball scene blasting 58 home runs in 2006. The Philadelphia superstar has an uncanny ability to get the most out of every swing. Howard has become the most reliable home run threat in baseball over the past few season. Howard has hit an incredible 153 home runs over the last 3 seasons which is nothing short of spectacular. Over the last 6 seasons, the Phillies first baseman has averaged a .586 career slugging percentage. The superstar also won the 2006 All-Star Home-Run Derby knocking 23 balls out of PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Howard has gotten off to a slow start in 2009 with only 4 deep balls, but considering how well he swings the bat that is most certain to change. It just a matter of time before the balls start flying out of the park once again.

No. 2 – Albert Pujols + 500 (St. Louis Cardinals)

Albert Pujols is among the new icons for sluggers in the MLB. Pujols finished with a Major League Baseball’s 4th best 37 home runs in 2008 along with 116 RBI’s. Pujols has become a popular house hold name for his ability to blast home runs. The Cardinals star first baseman is off to another quick start in 2009 tied for 1st place in the National League with 9 home runs. The Cardinals talent is also batting a stout .352 with 29 RBI’s already this year just to place an emphasis on how well he is swinging the stick. Pujols is one of the favorites to finish the year as the league’s top homerun hitter and at +500 odds it is definitely still worth the consideration.

No. 3 – Carlos Pena +400 (Tampa Bay Rays)

Carlos Pena has come out the gates hot in 2009 knocking 11 home runs in 26 games. Pena is only batting .276, but owns a solid slugging percentage of .684. The Rays first baseman is leading the MLB in home runs and is also leading favorite to win the home run race this season. The Rays star was responsible for 31 home runs in 2008 despite having a really slow start to the season. The power hitter has set a blistering pace to start the season. If Pena kept the same pace for the rest of the year, he would finish the season with 70 home runs. Pena had one of the best home-run to at-bat percentages last year outside of Carlos Quentin and could be a force to be reckoned with for the entire 2009 season.

No. 4 – Adam Dunn +2500 (Washington Nationals)

Adam Dunn is a player that is similar to Ryan Howard in a lot of ways. Dunn has steadily progressed every season since arriving to the league back in 2001. This will be the left fielders first season with the Nationals, but he has proved that he can carry a big bat for any team he plays for. Over the last 4 seasons, Dunn has finished the year with 40 home runs exactly and also contributed to 46 blasts before that stretch making it five straight years with 40 or more home runs. While the guy made not have put up huge numbers in home runs, he has been possibly the most consistent home run threat in the league over the past few seasons. Taking at gamble with some great odds, Adam Dunn could be a lottery pick for those willing to take a chance.

No. 5 – Adrian Gonzalez +1500 (San Diego Padres)

Adrian Gonzalez is a young first baseman who is on the verge into breaking out into one of the biggest hitters in the game. The Padres has averaged 30 home runs over the last 3 seasons increasing by 6 home runs on average every season. If that scenario played true, Gonzalez would finish 2009 with 42 blasts. However, this season could be even better for the San Diego power hitter. Gonzalez could very well explode in 2009 and is showing promising signs. Gonzalez has already hit 9 home runs this season along with 20 RBI’s and a slugging percentage of .647. Many experts pointed to this season to be the year Adrian Gonzalez could really become a household name and we believe the same. As long as they continue to pitch to San Diego’s biggest stick, the home runs will continue to come.

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The National League West could be the toughest of the six divisions to predict. Is it parity or is it mediocrity? It appears the division is up for grabs in 2009, but with the Dodgers recently re-signing Manny Ramirez, it appears it is the Dodgers division to lose. Last season the Dodgers won just 84 games, but came up with the title, and also a first round playoff sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Los Angeles, Arizona and San Francisco appear to have solid pitching, while the Dodgers and Diamondbacks have the offense that has proved the most. San Francisco looks to have made the best improvements over the off-season, so it should be very interesting out West.

As the Arizona Diamondbacks workout in their home state – Tucson Arizona, they look to figure out what went wrong in the final month, falling just two games short of winning the division. Arizona finished with an 82-80 record in 2008. Despite losing Randy Johnson to the Giants, the addition of Jon Garland to join Brandon Webb and Dan Haren should make the rotation even more lethal. Max Scherzer should get a shot in the rotation this season at #5. Scherzer has been noted to have electric stuff, but his 0-4 2008 season, along with a shoulder injury, left Arizona with some question marks regarding their youngster. Arizona also picked up second basemen Felipe Lopez to replace Orlando Hudson. The Diamondbacks lost Brandon Lyon and Juan Cruz out of the bullpen, but hope to get productive pitching from veterans Tom Gordon and Scott Schoeneweis. Offensively, it looks like a logjam in the outfield with four guys vying for three positions. Eric Byrnes may be the odd man out with guys like Connor Jackson, Chris Young and Justin Upton getting the nod. Byrnes has put up productive numbers in an Arizona uniform, but was hampered in 2008 by injuries, just playing in 52 games. Mark Reynolds and Stephen Drew should take care of the offense from the infield positions as guys like Tony Clark and Chad Tracy wait in the wings.

The Colorado Rockies come into the 2009 season losing their top hitter and their best reliever out of the bullpen. As the Rockies start the season in their training facility in Tucson Arizona, they look for ways to improve upon their 74-88 2008 record. Jeff Francis is likely to miss the entire 2009 season, as he will have shoulder surgery. Jason Marquis was signed by Colorado to shore up the back end of the rotation, and Huston Street was added to replace former closer Brian Fuentes. Who is going to replace Matt Holliday’s numbers is still a major concern. The Rockies rotation appears to be relatively deep despite losing Francis. Aaron Cook, and Ubaldo Jimenez will anchor the rotation in a division that sees Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jake Peavy. Jorge De La Rosa will also vie for a position in the rotation. Offensively, youngsters Carols Gonzalez, Seth Smith, and Jeff Baker will look to replace Holliday Smith hit .323 in Colorado Springs last season, and played in centerfield late in the season for Colorado. Gonzalez played last season in Oakland, hitting just .242 in 85 games. He was traded over in part in the Matt Holliday trade. The Rockies hope Coors Field helps boost Gonzalez’ offensive numbers. Garrett Atkins, Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki will need to put up superior numbers for the young Colorado lineup. Chris Iannetta and Yorvit Torrealba should split time behind the plate for Colorado.

The defending National League West Champion, Los Angeles Dodgers made their move just recently finally reaching an agreement with outfielder Manny Ramirez. With Ramirez last season the Dodgers won the NL West and also won a first round playoff series. Ramirez shows up to Glendale Arizona seeing several of his 2008 teammates gone. Gone are veterans Jeff Kent, Andruw Jones, Derek Low and Brad Penny. The Dodgers helped Ramirez in the lineup with the re-signing Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal. Russell Martin continues to improve and may be the best catcher in baseball both offensively and defensively. Los Angeles added protection for Martin, but signing Brad Ausmus to be his back up. On the mound Randy Wolf was signed to eat up innings from the left-handed side. A prospect that may make a huge impact for the Dodgers this season is James McDonald. At 6’5, McDonald played first base in high school, and in the outfield in minor leagues, he throws mid 90’s, and could be thrown into the rotation, or used out of the bullpen. The starting rotation appears to be Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw and Jason Schmidt 1-4. Schmidt has not pitched in the major leagues since 2007, but after having shoulder surgery Schmidt may finally be able to produce again. The fifth starter looks to be a toss-up between Randy Wolf, Claudio Vargas, Shawn Estes, Eric Stults and James McDonald. Johnathan Broxton should lead the bullpen, which appears to have some unknowns under manager Joe Torre. Guys like Hong-Chih Kuo, Cory Wade and Ramon Troncoso will take their turns looking to throw in the middle innings.

As the San Diego Padres continue to work in Peoria Arizona, they will look to find any way they can to forget their dismal 2008 season. The Padres finished with a league worst 63-99 record, for last place in the NL West. The Padres are now under new ownership led by Jeff Moorad, replacing former owner John Moores. While Moores was leading the organization, their payroll lowered to nearly $40 million. During the off-season, San Diego traded Khalil Green to St. Louis and elected to not re-sign Trevor Hoffman. The Padres added a spark plug at the top of their offense in shortstop David Eckstein. Despite all the off-season talk about Jake Peavy moving to a new location, he still remains in San Diego. Will Peavy finish the season in San Diego? That is a question that will be asked throughout the entire season. With Peavy and Chris Young in the rotation, should be unknowns such as Cha Seug Baek, Kevin Correla and Josh Geer. Youngsters such as Chad Reineke, Wade LeBlanc and Will Inman will wait in the wings for when needed. Heath Bell and Cla Meredith should anchor a bullpen with some ability to be solid. Mike Adams, Mark Worrell and Chris Britton will look to put up quality numbers as well. San Diego may be looking to youngster Mark Antonelli to fill in at second base. Antonelli was the Padres first round draft choice in 2006, but hit just .215 in AAA last season. Jody Gerut, Brian Giles and Chase Headley should fill the outfield with Cliff Floyd and Scott Hairston coming off the bench. Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff should fill the corner infield positions and bat in the middle of the lineup.

The fifth and final team in the National League West is the San Francisco Giants. The Giants finished 72-90 last season, placing 4th place in the division. The Giants had the best off-season adding Edgar Renteria to play shortstop and veteran Randy Johnson to help Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain out in the rotation. Johnson should benefit from a pitcher friendly AT+T Par. If Barry Zito could regain any of his former production, the Giants rotation has the potential to match anyone in the National League. At the bottom of the rotation is Johnathan Sanchez, who is just 26 years old. San Francisco also added Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry to help set up closer Brian Wilson. Wilson saved 41 of 47 games for the Giants in 2008. The weakness for the Giants will be their offense. Can the Giants find an offense that can keep them competitive in the National League? Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina and Fred Lewis appear to be the meat of the order, with veterans like Randy Winn, Edgar Renteria and Aaron Roward sandwiched in between. To be successful, it appears the Giants will need to win a lot of 2-1, 3-2 ball games.

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