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 3. 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.
Gerrit Cole Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-104) vs. Guardians
Guardians at Yankees – 7:05 pm ET
Cole only had two strikeouts against the Rays in his first outing back in the majors, but he followed that up with a 10-K performance against the Royals. Well, with Cole even showing signs of life as an ace, I’m always going to feel like 5.5 is playable number with him. I know the Guardians are a team that has a low whiff percentage (23.0%) and strikeout rate (20.5%), but the best pitchers in baseball can fool anyone. Well, I still believe Cole is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and the numbers back that up. His velocity is right where it used to be, and his spin rates aren’t back but they’re still quite strong. I don’t think it’ll take long for his stuff to start looking like it used to, but I trust him to find ways to trick hitters until then.
Stephen Kolek Under 17.5 Outs Recorded (-132) vs. Reds
Royals at Reds – 7:10 pm ET
I have always been more of an Over guy, finding it easier to predict success than failure. However, I have been using my odds comparison system for months now, so I have largely been letting numbers guide me to favorable situations. With that being the case, I no longer feel the need to limit myself to only Overs, and I have been sprinkling in more and more Unders lately. Here’s another. I just don’t love this spot for Kolek. The righty has gone Under 17.5 Outs Recorded in two of his three road outings this year, and I do think the Reds offense will be able to give him some trouble.
Patrick Corbin Over 3.5 Strikeouts (-126 – 1.5 units) & Alt Strikeouts 5+ (+194 – 0.5 units)
Blue Jays at Braves – 7:15 pm ET
Backing Corbin can be a scary proposition. Everyone on the planet constantly looks to fade him, and he has certainly played a role in helping casual bettors eat over the years. But 3.5 is a pretty low strikeout total for the southpaw. He comes into this start averaging 5.5 Ks per game over his last two outings, and the Braves aren’t the worst opponent in the world. While they don’t have a high strikeout rate against lefties (20.8%), they do have a pretty high whiff percentage (25.4%). Also, the difference between the two when looking at where they stack up leaguewide suggests there’s some regression coming for Atlanta.
Additional Picks
Nick Martinez Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+124) vs. Tigers
Byron Buxton Over 2.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (+110) vs. White Sox
George Kirby Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-110) vs. Mets
Walker Buehler Over 14.5 Outs Recorded (-149) vs. Phillies
Chris Bassitt Under 15.5 Outs Recorded (-114) vs. Red Sox
Andre Pallante Over 3.5 Strikeout (-140) vs. Rangers
Nick Kurtz Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-135) vs. Cubs
Walbert Urena Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-126) vs. Rockies
Michael Lorenzen Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+100) vs. Angels
Shohei Ohtani Over 1.5 Total Bases (-115) vs. Diamondbacks
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.
Zac Gallen Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+137) vs. Dodgers
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him going for 5.58 strikeouts, suggesting these odds should be -189 — a +23.2% edge to the Over.
Kerry Carpenter Over 1.5 Total Bases (+151) vs. Rays
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 2.11 total bases, suggesting these odds should be -166 — a +22.6% edge to the Over.
Rafael Devers Over 1.5 Total Bases (+143) vs. Brewers
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him projected for 2.13 total bases, suggesting these odds should be -168 — a +21.6% edge to the Over.
