MLB odds: Philadelphia Phillies futures bets to place before 2024 season

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Last week, pitchers and catchers with the Philadelphia Phillies reported to spring training in Clearwater, Florida, to begin preparing for the 2024 MLB season. 

The 2023 season ended disappointingly for the Phillies and left a sour taste in the mouths of fans hoping for another World Series run.

But, before you know it, winter will turn to spring and Citizens Bank Park in South Philly will be filled once again. 

Here are three Phillies futures bets to place before Opening Day on March 28 vs. the Atlanta Braves. 

Bryce Harper over 29.5 home runs

Harper hitting at least 30 homers in a 162-game season sounds simple for the two-time NL MVP, but he's only gone over the total four times since he entered the league in 2012. 

With that being said, I'm taking the over on his 29.5 home run total (-106) for the 2024 season on the chance that Harper can stay healthy. 

For the past two seasons, Harper has missed a lot of games due to a UCL tear in his right elbow in the 2022 season that forced him to have Tommy John surgery.

Harper played 99 regular season games in 2022 and 126 in 2023 after he made the quickest return from Tommy John surgery of any position player.

This upcoming season, Harper is entering healthy and likely motivated to get past blowing the series lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks last year in the National League Championship Series. 

Last season, it took Harper time to get his power back following the surgery. He had the longest home run drought of his career and his average exit velocity, launch angle and hard hit-rate were all down compared to his previous numbers.

But Harper found a groove at the plate in August and finished the season with 21 homers in 126 games. 

FanGraphs, a baseball statistics and analysis website, projects Harper to finish the season with 29 homers, but with a healthy season he should be more around his 2021 form when he played 141 games, smacked 35 dingers and won MVP. 

Zack Wheeler or Aaron Nola as regular season strikeouts leader

These bets are long-shots, but they're worth sprinkling on heading into the 2024 season. 

Zack Wheeler is +3000 ($10 bet wins $300) to be 2024's regular season strikeouts leader and Aaron Nola is +4000. 

Wheeler and Nola have been ranked high on the strikeouts leaderboard over the past few seasons for their prices to be this high. 

In 2023, Wheeler finished ninth in the league in strikeouts with 212, nearly 80 behind Atlanta's Spencer Strider, who led the league with 281, and Nola finished 14th. 

In 2022, Wheeler finished in 37th in the MLB in regular season strikeouts as he missed time with a forearm injury, and Nola ranked fourth. 

During the 2021 regular season, Wheeler finished second in strikeouts with 247, one shy of Robbie Ray of the Toronto Blue Jays, who finished with 248. Nola ranked eighth that season. 

Both Nola and Wheeler have shown the ability to go deep into games throughout their careers, so as long as they're healthy, there's a chance for either of them to lead MLB in strikeouts in the regular season.