MLB Spring Training presents one of the most challenging betting environments in all of sports. Unlike the regular season, where established rotations and lineup constructions create predictable patterns, Spring Training games feature split squads, abbreviated outings from starters, and deep roster experimentation. Managers frequently rest key players or limit them to a few at-bats, while minor leaguers and non-roster invitees can comprise much of the lineup by the middle innings. This makes game outcomes significantly more random than regular-season contests, and the betting market reflects that uncertainty with thinner limits and less sharp action overall.
Vig on Spring Training lines tends to run noticeably wider than what bettors encounter during the MLB regular season. Because the market is less liquid and oddsmakers face greater uncertainty in modeling outcomes, sportsbooks protect themselves with higher margins. Moneyline spreads that might sit around 10-15 cents during the regular season can balloon to 20 cents or more in Spring Training. Totals markets, when available, carry similarly inflated juice. The books that do offer competitive Spring Training lines often do so with reduced maximum wager limits, so even when a bettor identifies value, the opportunity to capitalize is constrained.
Spring Training typically runs from late February through late March, with games played almost exclusively in Arizona's Cactus League and Florida's Grapefruit League. Odds tend to be most competitive later in the spring, as lineups solidify and starters begin pitching deeper into games, giving oddsmakers more reliable data to work with. Bettors should pay close attention to confirmed lineup cards — often released just hours before first pitch — as well as weather conditions, particularly wind patterns at open-air Arizona facilities. Home and away splits carry less weight than during the regular season, since travel is minimal and neither venue offers a meaningful crowd-driven advantage. The sharpest edges in this market come from information asymmetry: knowing which teams are treating a particular game as a meaningful dress rehearsal versus a developmental exercise.
Cross-Sport Vig Comparison
MLB Preseason averages 6.15% vig across 6 sportsbooks. Here's how that compares to other active sports:
| Sport | Avg Vig | vs MLB Preseason |
|---|---|---|
| MLB Preseason | 6.15% | — |
| NCAAF | 4.68% | 1.47% higher |
| AFL | 6.94% | 0.79% lower |
| MLB | 6.01% | 0.14% higher |
| NCAA Baseball | 6.97% | 0.83% lower |
Vig Rankings
| # | Sportsbook | Avg Vig | Grade | ML | Spreads | Totals | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | theScore Bet | 3.75% | B+ | 2.86% | 3.34% | 5.07% | 1 |
| 2 | BetMGM | 4.86% | B | 2.86% | 5.98% | 5.74% | 1 |
| 3 | DraftKings | 5.34% | C+ | 3.75% | 6.09% | 6.18% | 1 |
| 4 | Hard Rock Bet | 7.09% | D | 4.42% | 8.07% | 8.78% | 1 |
| 5 | MyBookie.ag | 7.09% | D | — | 7.09% | 7.08% | 1 |
| 6 | Bovada | 8.76% | D- | — | 8.73% | 8.78% | 1 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which sportsbook has the lowest MLB Preseason vig?
theScore Bet currently has the lowest vig at 3.75%, earning a grade of B+.
What is vig (vigorish) in sports betting?
Vig — short for vigorish, also called juice or overround — is the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. It's the difference between the true probability of an outcome and what the odds imply. Lower vig means you keep more of your winnings on every bet. For example, a standard -110/-110 line has about 4.76% vig.
How often is this data updated?
We pull fresh odds from The Odds API three times per day — at 6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM UTC. Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds. The timestamp at the top of the page shows the most recent refresh.
How is the vig grade calculated?
Each sportsbook is graded on a letter scale based on average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exceptional, A (2–3%) is excellent, B+ (3–4%) is above average, B (4–5%) is the industry standard, C (5–6%) is below average, and D (above 6%) indicates high-juice markets.
Why does lower vig matter for bettors?
Lower vig directly impacts your long-term returns. A bettor placing $1,000 per week at a book with 4% vig loses roughly $40/week to the house edge. At 2% vig, that drops to $20/week — a $1,040 difference over a year. For serious bettors, shopping for lower vig is one of the most reliable ways to improve profitability.
What sportsbooks do you track?
We track both regulated US sportsbooks (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars) and offshore books (Bovada, BetOnline, MyBookie, BetUS, LowVig.ag, BetAnySports). Data comes from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed sources.
How We Calculate These Numbers
- Data Source
- All odds on this page come from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed US and offshore sportsbooks. We track moneyline, spread, and totals markets across every sport with active betting lines.
- Update Frequency
- We pull a fresh snapshot of every tracked market three times per day — at 6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM UTC. Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds for a given event. The timestamp at the top of each page tells you exactly when the data was last refreshed.
- Vig Calculation
- Vig (short for vigorish, also called juice or overround) measures the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. We calculate it by converting the odds on each side of a market to implied probabilities, summing those probabilities, and subtracting 100%. For example, a market priced at -110/-110 implies 52.38% on each side — a total of 104.76%, meaning a vig of 4.76%. Lower vig means better value for bettors because you keep more of your winnings.
- Per-Market Breakdown
- We compute vig separately for each market type: moneyline (h2h), point spreads, and totals (over/under). The "average vig" shown for each sportsbook is the mean across all market types weighted by the number of events sampled in each market.
- Grading Scale
- Every sportsbook receives a letter grade based on its average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exceptional and rare — these are typically sharp-friendly books. A (2–3%) is excellent. B+ (3–4%) is above average. B (4–5%) is the industry standard for most recreational sportsbooks. C (5–6%) is below average. D (above 6%) indicates high-juice markets where bettors face a steep cost per wager.
- Trend Tracking
- We store daily snapshots for 30 days, allowing us to show 24-hour and 7-day vig trends. A downward trend (improving) means sportsbooks are tightening their lines — often in response to increased competition or higher betting volume as a season heats up.