The Savannah Bananas, a team of traveling exhibition baseball players with unusual antics, are playing on June 13 and 14 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The Bananas also feature guest players sometimes, which is where our list comes in. BetOhio.com, where top Ohio sportsbook promotions can be found, provides odds on which athletes with Cincinnati area ties might appear in the team’s bright yellow uniforms this weekend.
Who Joins Savannah Bananas in Cincinnati?
Celebrity, Connection | Odds | Percent Chance |
Joey Votto, former Reds 1B | -500 | 83.3% |
Barry Larkin, former Reds SS | -200 | 66.7% |
Joe Burrow, Bengals QB | -175 | 63.6% |
Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals WR | +105 | 48.7% |
Chad Ochocinco, former Bengals WR | +165 | 37.7% |
IShowSpeed, Cincinnati-based streamer | +200 | 33.3% |
Brandon Phillips, former Reds 2B | +325 | 23.5% |
Bronson Arroyo, former Reds P | +475 | 17.4% |
Jay Bruce, former Reds OF | +700 | 12.5% |
AJ Green, former Bengals WR | +900 | 10.0% |
The Field | +200 | 33.3% |
There are no Ohio sports betting odds for Bananas games. But there is an element of luck involved because their appearances have become so popular that there’s a lottery system for fans to try to get tickets.
Who Will Join Bananas This Weekend?
This weekend, the Bananas face the Texas Tailgaters – another “Banana Ball” style team, along with the Party Animals and Firefighters.
Joey Votto’s MLB days are behind him, but there aren’t a lot of Cincinnati area athletes who would draw the type of crowd that the 2010 National League Most Valuable Player would this weekend. The former Gold Glove first baseman is enjoying his first year of retirement after playing 17 seasons with the Reds.
Given Votto’s newfound free time, it’s a good guess that the 41-year-old will appear this weekend, with the Canadian MLB veteran holding an 83.3% chance of appearing at one or more of the Bananas’ games in the Queen City. That would translate to -500 odds if it were offered as a prop at Ohio sportsbook apps.
Votto ranks ahead of fellow Reds legend Barry Larkin, who checks in at -200 odds on our board to be in the fold for some “Banana Ball.”
Other professional athletes who could join the Bananas include Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who played baseball until he was in eighth grade in Athens, Ohio, at -175 odds. Burrow’s teammate, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (+105) and Bengals legend Chad Ochocinco (+165) are the other leading candidates to play with the yellow-clad baseball bunch.
Three more former Reds stars – infielder Brnadon Phillips (+325), pitcher Bronson Arroyo (+475) and outfielder Jay Bruce (+700) – are among the longshots to appear with the Bananas. Streamer IShowSpeed clocks in at +200 and former Bengals star WR AJ Green rounds out the list at +900.
The Bananas will be at Great America Ballpark as the MLB team that calls the stadium home, the Reds, are on a weekend road trip in Detroit to face the Tigers in a three-game series that starts Friday. So while most baseball fans in southern Ohio and surrounding areas will be following Cincinnati Reds playoff chances (they are 3.5 games out of an NL wild-card spot as of June 11), the Savannah Bananas might be bringing a host of high-profile stars with them for their zany brand of baseball hijinks.
USA Today Network photo by Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Savannah Bananas Q&A
Joey Votto, former Cincinnati Reds first baseman, leads our odds at -500, giving him an 83.3% chance of appearing with the Savannah Bananas this weekend.
Yes, Joe Burrow (Bengals QB) has a 63.6% chance (-175 odds) and Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals WR) has a 48.7% chance (+105 odds).
Barry Larkin, the former Reds shortstop, has odds of -200, which translates to a 66.7% chance.
We say there’s a 33.3% chance that IShowSpeed will appear, with odds set at +200.
