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 3

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

CIN Reds Win(+125)

Reasoning

The Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies cap off a series on Wednesday afternoon after splitting the first two games. The Phillies, of course, came into this series as one of the hottest teams in the league, pulling themselves back above .500 after their dismal start. They have played this series without Kyle Schwarber (illness), and that has really impacted their offense. The Reds are a tough team to figure out, as they are wildly inconsistent in their production. This makes them hard to bet on because they will absolutely embarrass you sometimes, but they also have the ceiling to beat anyone. I like the Reds on the Money Line on Wednesday.

Andrew Abbott takes the ball for the Redlegs. He had a sluggish start to the season, but he has turned in 4 consecutive strong starts. It seems he has settled in finally, and it is helpful that he is a lefty facing Philly. The most dangerous bats in the lineup are lefties, and Abbott should neutralize them a bit. Aaron Nola toes the slab for the home team. With Nola, it feels we are trying to squeeze the last drop of juice out of a once-great fruit. In 4 of his last 5 starts, Nola has failed to finish 5 innings, and he has given up 5 or 6 runs in 3 of those starts. He is hard to trust. Especially if Schwarber continues to miss time, the Reds are the play here.

Reds vs Phillies Prediction: Reds ML (+125) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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Chad Hartsock

Money Line PickBest Bet

LA Dodgers Win(-160)

Reasoning

My favorite rivalry in baseball right now is the Los Angeles Dodgers vs the San Diego Padres. With the win last night, the Padres pulled half a game ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West, which only adds to this rivalry. These games are must-watch, with lots of energy and spice. On Monday, the Dodgers gave Yamamoto the standard treatment, where he pitches lights out, allows barely anything, but the offense refuses to score. Happens all the time. Michael King was exceptional on the other side though, and it pushed the Padres’ winning streak to 4 straight (and ended a 5-game winning streak for the Dodgers). Look for the Dodgers to rebound on Tuesday, and this is a spot where you can either hammer the Money Line or roll the dice on the Run Line. I’ll take LA to win.

Emmet Sheehan and Giffin Canning will toe the rubber. This should be a lopsided mismatch. Sheehan had a rough start to the season, but he has allowed 2 runs or less in 4 of his last 5 starts. He is far better than Canning, who I am surprised to find pitching for the Padres. He has made 3 starts this month, allowing 6 runs in each of the last 2 outings. It is not likely that he will find better results against the mighty Dodgers. I am not sure how you would make a case for the Padres tonight with Canning on the mound, whom most of the Dodgers have also seen several times. Give me Sheehan and the Dodgers to win this one and even the series.

Dodgers vs Padres Prediction: Dodgers ML (-160) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -180.

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Money Line Pick

BAL Orioles Win(+100)

Reasoning

The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays continue their series on Tuesday after the Rays exploded for a 16-6 victory on Monday night. It was a day when every ball was hit hard, and everything found a hole. The win also meant that the Rays passed the Braves for the best winning percentage in baseball. Naturally, most of the betting world will back them to win again tonight, and that is probably enough reason to go the other way. I will take the Orioles on the money line.

Kyle Bradish and Giffin Jax will face off on the mound. Bradish has been pitching well of late, and Baltimore certainly needs him to pitch more like a staff ace. Jax, on the other hand, has worked most of the season out of the bullpen but has recently slid over to the rotation for a couple of starts. Obviously, he won’t stay in the game long, both because of pitch count limitations and because Tampa just never lets pitchers go through a lineup a third time. So we can expect to see a lot of the Rays’ bullpen. I’m not sure if it matters much tonight, but the O’s do get Jackson Holiday back in the lineup. The lineup is starting to look a bit more like it was supposed to for Baltimore. Still, I will back Bradish and the Birds to even the series.

Orioles vs Rays Prediction: Orioles ML (+100) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -110.

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Chad Hartsock