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

TOR Blue Jays Win(-160)

Reasoning

The Toronto Blue Jays will play for the sweep on Sunday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates what will be the early-start game on Peacock. On Saturday, the Pirates gave Paul Skenes the usual treatment, refusing to give him any run support, and eventually, Toronto scored on him. In general, the Pirates are just not producing much offense in this series, and that is a problem when the Blue Jays are starting to get things together at the plate. I like the Blue Jays to cap off the series with a win and a sweep.

On the mound is Dylan Cease and Mitch Keller. Cease has not been perfect for the Jays, as he has scattered a bad outing here or there like he did in his last start. However, facing the Pirates should cure what ails him. Mitch Keller has been his usual steady, veteran self for the Pirates. My concern is that Keller doesn’t pile up many Ks, which is even more concerning against a Toronto team that persistently puts the ball in play. It seems like they will get to Keller and score, and as long as Cease isn’t handing out tons of free passes, that should put the Blue Jays in great shape as they head into the late innings. I’ll take the Jays to win this one.

Pirates vs Blue Jays Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays ML (-160) available at the time of publishing. Playable to that number.

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Chad Hartsock

Money Line Pick

STL Cardinals (2) Win(-110)

Reasoning

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds are playing a doubleheader on Saturday after rain postponed Friday’s series opener. The second game of the split bill will be on FOX for part of the country. The tricky thing about doubleheaders is that so much of how we bet Game 2 has to do with how Game 1 goes, especially when it comes to bullpen usage. If teams expend their best arms in the first game, the second game tends to go over the run total. If only one team uses the high leverage arms, then we probably want to go the other way. But we are looking at this game without knowing those factors, so be flexible. As of now, I’ll go with the Cardinals to win.

However the first game goes, I do like Kyle Leahy for the Cardinals. He struggled some in the early part of the season, but he has logged 3 straight starts allowing 1 run or less, and he seems to have settled into a nice groove. The Reds will go with Chase Petty. He is a fireballer who averages around 97 with the fastball, but there might not be a lot else there. He has been back and forth from the minors, and he made one start early in May against the Cubs. It was okay, but seeing only 1 strikeout from a power arm is a bit concerning. I’ll take my chances with Leahy, but again, I would wait until after the first game and reevaluate.

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

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Chad Hartsock

Money Line Pick

DET Tigers Win(+100)

Reasoning

The Detroit Tigers fell to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night by a score of 7-4. That was the most runs the Tigers have scored in a week. They have now lost 7 games in a row, and their offense has looked totally lost at the plate. On Saturday, we are dealing with a lot of weather in the area, and do not be surprised if this one is called off altogether. There is a very brief window where they can try to play, but if they do, they will play through rainy and cold conditions, and of course, a lot of wind. Neither team is playing great baseball right now, and if they do play this one, I am taking the Tigers on the Money Line to end the losing streak.

On the mound, the Tigers will have Framber Valdez. He was stronger at the beginning of the season than he has been of late, so it is hard to trust him. There have been a lot of walks, and you probably know by now that Valdez is a head trip. But I still probably like him better than Brandon Young. Young is just a league-average sort of guy, good enough but nothing special. The Tigers have a ton of lefties they can stack up, but that hasn’t seemed to help them much this season. If we are betting on this game in these conditions, we are throwing darts anyway, but I’ll throw mine at the Tigers. They are even money at the moment too, which helps.

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

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Chad Hartsock