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 June 17. 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!
Wednesday Player Prop Best Bets
Below you’ll find my official plays on the player prop market for Wednesday. 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.
Shohei Ohtani Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+120) vs. Rays
Rays at Dodgers – 3:10 pm ET
Ohtani’s strikeout total is down at 6.5 today, and the Over can be found at plus-money odds. That’s because the talented righty has failed to reach the seven-K mark in three of his last four outings, and the Rays have the lowest strikeout rate (19.1%) and whiff percentage (20.1%) in baseball. Still, Ohtani is averaging 6.6 strikeouts per game this season, and that number goes up to 8.0 when he’s playing at home. He loves pitching at Dodger Stadium, and I think his stuff is good enough to shine against any lineup.
Sam Aldegheri Over 2.5 Strikeouts (-108) vs. Diamondbacks
Angels at Diamondbacks – 3:40 pm ET
Aldegheri probably won’t be asked to work too deep into this game, but he has thrown at least 74 pitches in two of his last three trips to the mound. He even threw 89 pitches in his outing on June 2. Well, based on principle alone, I have to go Over 2.5 strikeouts with a pitcher that could go four or five innings. I know the Diamondbacks have strong contact numbers, but they do have a high chase percentage (31.8%). That suggests this isn’t as bad of a matchup as it might seem.
Braxton Ashcraft Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+100) vs. Athletics
Pirates at Athletics – 9:40 pm ET
Ashcraft might allow some runs tonight, as the A’s are rolling offensively and the conditions are extremely hitter friendly in Sacramento. However, the Athletics also happen to have a 22.1% strikeout rate and 26.4% whiff percentage. This team has plenty of guys that can do damage up there, but these players are also prone to strikeouts. Well, Ashcraft should be able to miss some bats. He’s averaging 8.5 strikeouts per game in his last two starts against opponents that are in the league’s bottom 10 in whiff percentage.
Additional Picks
Nolan McLean Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-165) vs. Reds
Sandy Alcantara Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-108 – 1.5 units) & Alt Strikeouts 6+ (+185 – 0.5 units) & Alt Strikeouts 7+ (+397 – 0.25 units) & Alt Strikeouts 8+ (+850 – 0.1 units) vs. Phillies
Gavin Sheets Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-110) vs. Cardinals
Jake Bennett Over 2.5 Earned Runs (+101) vs. Blue Jays
Amed Rosario Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-115) vs. White Sox
Travis Bazzana Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-105) vs. Brewers
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.
Hunter Feduccia Over 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (+104) vs. Dodgers
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him going for 1.25 hits, runs, and RBIs, suggesting these odds should be -248 — a +22.2% edge to the Over.
Max Scherzer Over 3.5 Strikeouts (-114) vs. Red Sox
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 5.14 strikeouts, suggesting these odds should be -306 — a +22.1% edge to the Over.
Hao-yu Lee Over 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-136) vs. Astros
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him projected for 1.58 hits, runs, and RBIs, suggesting these odds should be -385 — a +21.8% edge to the Over.
