Chad Hartsock

Consultant

Chad is a teacher and minister by training, and a fantasy sports enthusiast and sports bettor by hobby. Chad lives in the Great Smoky Mountains, and he especially loves NCAAF, NFL, NCAAB, and MLB. Chad has been handicapping for Pickswise since 2022.

Live Picks 2

Live Parlays 0

Weekly News Articles 0

Location

Tennessee

Favorite Sports

Favorite Teams

Greatest Betting Win

I have two favorite betting memories. My favorite bet, and my biggest single win, was the 2022 Super Bowl exact result–Rams over Bengals. I placed the futures bet at the beginning of the playoffs when both teams were the #4 seed, and it carried something like +1500 odds. Those playoffs were fun.

Greatest Achievements

As a proud Baylor alum, it would have to be betting on Baylor basketball to win the 2021 national championship. I do not blindly back my team, but Baylor was an underdog to Gonzaga and I saw that win coming, so I emptied my account on it.

Education

Chad has a bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman University, a masters of divinity from Baylor University, and an Ph.D. in biblical studies from Baylor University. He taught at the college level for 11 years (thus earning the nickname “the Professor” in some betting circles). Chad has published two books and numerous academic articles, but sports writing came along later, first as a hobby and now as a daily activity.

Experience

Chad has been playing fantasy sports since 2003, and betting for as long as it has been legal in Tennessee. Chad also loves casino sportsbooks and table games, and he frequently turns up at Harrah’s in Cherokee NC or the Hard Rock Casino in Bristol VA. He began his handicapping career with friends on a small website and podcast in 2021 (the now-archived ScoopAndScoreSports.com, a venture that fizzled out because none of them knew how to run a website properly.) He joined the Pickswise team in 2022, and he writes college football, college basketball, and MLB. Chad has been among the team’s best pickers in each of those sports, and he loves nothing more than getting a pick right for the Pickswise community, especially when the public is going the other way.

Favorite betting market / type

Same Game Parlays & Player Props.

Favorite bookmakers

Chad's Picks

Money Line Pick

TEX Rangers Win(-135)

Reasoning

The Houston Astros head to Arlington on Monday to face the Texas Rangers in an AL West rivalry series. The Astros are coming off a weekend sweep of the Cubs, catching the Cubs in the midst of a prolonged slump. The Rangers, on the other hand, were swept by the Angels and are looking to get back on track. With Kumar Rocker and Tatsuya Imai on the mound, we have a lot of potential for volatility on Monday, but I am going with the more reliable Rocker and the Rangers to get the win.

Imai returned from a brief minor league reassignment and has made a couple of starts since, but the results have not improved. He has allowed 9 runs and 4 home runs in those two starts, and he is simply not trustworthy as a starter so far in his MLB career. Rocker has been up and down for a couple of seasons now, but he has worked behind an opener in his last two starts, and that has led to a lot of success. Rocker has tossed 13.2 scoreless innings over his last two appearances, and he seems to be building some momentum. The Houston offense has not been great this season, so I look for Rocker to continue. Also, bear in mind that Houston has the worst bullpen ERA in baseball at 5.60, while the Texas bullpen is 2nd best in the league, and trails only the Dodgers with a unit ERA below 3.00. Let’s trust that.

Astros vs Rangers Prediction: Rangers ML (-135) available at the time of publishing. Playable to (-145).

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Chad Hartsock

Run Line Pick

MIL Brewers -1.5(-110)

Reasoning

The St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers get a series started on Monday afternoon. The Brewers dropped 2 of 3 to the Dodgers over the weekend, while the Cardinals battled the weather in Cincinnati, ultimately raining out Sunday’s contest. American Family Field has a roof though, so no worries on Monday afternoon. Monday is a “Miz day” as Jacob Misiorowski takes the ball for the Brew Crew. This game comes down to whether you think Misiorowski will continue to do amazing things, and I am not betting against that.

Misiorowski is doing incredible things. He has a 1.89 ERA and a WHIP of just 0.88, and he has 88 Ks in just 57 innings. He is virtually untouchable, hasn’t given up a run all month, and has struck out at least 8 guys in 6 straight games. Oh, and something like the fastest 80 or so pitches thrown by starters this season are all by Miz, and he is routinely hitting 102 or 103. Good luck hitting him. On the other side is Matthew Libertore, who is having a fine season, but he has logged two straight short outings while allowing 4 runs. This game comes down to whether the Brewers show up on offense, and whether you want to bet on the Miz finally coming back to earth a bit. I’ll ride the hot hand.

Cardinals vs Brewers Prediction: Brewers -1.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -120.

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Chad Hartsock