Best Bets on Today’s MLB Player Props Market
The 2023 MLB season is underway and VSiN has you covered with every way you can possibly bet on a baseball game. As always, Adam Burke will have daily best bets to give you some ideas of what to back when it comes to moneylines, run lines and totals. However, I’m tackling player props here, and I’m targeting Hunter Greene, Nick Maton and Kris Bryant on Monday, April 17th. Keep reading to find out how I’m betting on each of them.
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MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on April 17
Here are our favorite MLB prop bets for Monday, April 17:
Tampa Bay Rays (-140, 9.5) at Cincinnati Reds
Hunter Greene is coming off a game in which he struck out 10 hitters in a loss to the Atlanta Braves. However, despite having had eight or more strikeouts in two of his three starts this season, the righty’s strikeout total for tonight is just 7.5. There’s also plus-money odds to take the over, and we’re just not in the business of turning down value like that.
Sure, the Rays have been tremendous this season and they look the part of an absolute powerhouse right now. However, Tampa Bay has the fifth-lowest strikeout rate in the league this year, and that seems somewhat unsustainable. The Rays have been prone to strikeouts against righties in each of the last three seasons, with a strikeout rate of 24.0% or higher in all three of them. With that in mind, this year’s 19.6% is destined to rise, and there’s no reason it won’t start against Greene.
Greene has some of the nastiest stuff in baseball and happened to have a nine-strikeout game against Tampa Bay last season. So, why not back him to do it again?
Bet: Greene Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+130)
Cleveland Guardians (-130, 8) at Detroit Tigers
Nick Maton is only batting .195 for the Tigers this season, but the 26-year-old is the leadoff hitter for this Detroit team. That means he’s likely to get more at-bats than anybody on the Tigers roster, and this is a very winnable matchup for Detroit.
This season, Hunter Gaddis is 0-1 with an 8.53 ERA and there’s just not much to fear when going up against this righty. Gaddis is a massive pitcher at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, but he isn’t as overpowering as you’d expect. And the righty also happens to be fresh off a performance in which he got completely shelled by the New York Yankees.
The reality here is that somebody on the Tigers is bound to get some hits today, and Maton is going to get the most opportunities. The second baseman also happens to be at his best against right-handed pitching, so this just feels like it’s worth a shot. You’re barely laying any juice for him to get a single hit.
Bet: Maton Over 0.5 Total Bases (-135)
Pittsburgh Pirates at Colorado Rockies (-140, 11.5)
Kris Bryant is off to a solid start this season, as he’s batting .295 thus far. He is, however, just 1 for 8 over his last two games, and we think he’ll bounce back and turn in a nice performance on Monday. Bryant has always been able to crush left-handed pitching, and he’ll now be facing Rich Hill at Coors Field. That’s a matchup with a mediocre starting pitcher, and it also happens to be in the optimal setting for a hitter.
Look for Bryant to potentially have multiple hits in this game, but don’t be shocked if he has one that goes for extra bases — or out of the ballpark. Bryant has homered off Hill in the past, and the lefty isn’t getting any younger. At 43 years old, Hill is getting hit harder and harder. He has had a nice career of pitching to contact, but his spin rates and velocity are even further down and it can feel like batting practice when he’s out there.
Bet: Bryant Over 1.5 Total Bases (-145)
Did you know that you can parlay these three picks together at +576 odds? Try out our VSiN Parlay Calculator HERE!
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