Player props have become one of baseball’s most entertaining ways to bet, offering value well beyond the moneyline, run line, or game total. Each day, this column highlights the best opportunities on the board — from strikeouts and hits to total bases and pitcher outs recorded — using matchup data, recent form, and betting trends to identify edges. Keep reading for the top MLB player prop picks for August 20. Also, make sure you check out our live VSiN programming for more. Our hosts and analysts will be all over the MLB, which is why it pays to be a VSiN Pro subscriber.
MORE: Check out the VSiN Pro Picks page for more bets from our talented hosts and analysts!
Thursday Player Prop Best Bets
Below you’ll find my official plays on the player prop market for Thursday. These are the ones that make the VSiN Pro Picks page and count towards my season-long record. I’ll write three up per day, but I’ll add additional ones in an “Additional Best Bets” section. I go lighter on baseball than I do other sports. My MLB units are 50% of what my normal units are.
Michael McGreevy Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+101 – 1.5 units) & Alt Strikeouts 6+ (+224 – 0.5 units) vs. Reds
Cardinals at Reds – 12:40 pm ET
The Reds have a strikeout rate of 25.6% against righties this year. That’s the highest mark in MLB, plus their 27.4% whiff percentage is also extremely high. With that in mind, McGreevy is a player that could do some solid work this afternoon. He’s actually coming off a six-strikeout game against the Cubs, and he has now had at least five Ks in two of his last three outings.
Ronald Acuna Jr. Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-122) vs. White Sox
Braves at White Sox – 2:10 pm ET
Anthony Kay will be on the mound for Chicago today, so backing someone that hits southpaws well makes a lot of sense. Well, Acuna hits everyone well, but he has been especially tough on lefties recently. Acuna comes into this one having had at least two HRR in three consecutive games against lefties, and he has also done so in four of the last six. Hitting at the top of Atlanta’s order, I just trust in him to cash in on some of his many opportunities.
Gerrit Cole Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+100 – 1.5 units) & Alt Strikeouts 8+ (+187 – 0.5 units) vs. Orioles
Yankees at Orioles – 6:35 pm ET
Cole hasn’t had his best swing-and-miss stuff in recent outings, but he has gone Over 6.5 Ks in five of his last eight outings. He’s also averaging 7.3 strikeouts per game in those contests, and I do think he’ll like the matchup with the Orioles. Baltimore has a strikeout rate of 23.8% this season, and Cole is averaging 8.0 strikeouts per game when facing teams that are bottom five in MLB in strikeout rate. The Orioles are currently 27th.
Additional Picks
Peter Lambert Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+100) vs. Angels
Noteworthy OptaAI Player Prop Edges
Check out the BRAND NEW OptaAI Player Props MLB pages for more of these! VSiN Pro subscribers can find 50+ player prop ideas on a daily basis! We’ll list the top edges in some of the biggest markets below, but there will always be a lot more to uncover on the pages themselves.
Austin Wells Over 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-146) vs. Orioles
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him going for 1.77 hits, runs, and RBIs, suggesting these odds should be -487 — a +23.6% edge to the Over.
Brandon Pfaadt Over 3.5 Strikeouts (-116) vs. Red Sox
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 5.21 strikeouts, suggesting these odds should be -322 — a +22.6% edge to the Over.
Andres Chaparro Over 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-145) vs. Rangers
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 1.69 hits, runs, and RBIs, suggesting these odds should be -441 — a +22.3% edge to the Over.
