MLB Player Props for Monday, April 22nd
The 2024 MLB season is finally here. After another wild offseason and an exciting couple of weeks of Spring Training, we’re ready for some games that matter. This season, VSiN Managing Editor Adam Burke will have you covered when it comes to MLB sides and totals in his daily best bets column. You’ll also get some First Five Inning analysis from Jonathan Von Tobel. On top of that, our analytics guru Steve Makinen will feed you some interesting trends and systems on a daily basis. But I’ll be focusing specifically on MLB player props this season, dishing out at least three per day every Monday to Friday. With that in mind, let’s get into the plays for Monday, April 22nd.
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Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees – 1:05 pm ET
Carlos Rodon hasn’t had more than six strikeouts in a start this season, but he should be able to reach that mark today. Rodon is going up against an Oakland team that has the highest strikeout rate (27.7%) in the league. And the Athletics are just as bad against left-handed pitching as they are right-handed pitching. Rodon has also looked a bit sharper in 2024 than he was in 2023, and he’ll welcome a matchup like this to get himself going. One thing to keep an eye on here is Rodon’s four-seamer. His whiff percentage is down on that pitch, despite the fact that he’s throwing it harder and with more spin. That seems like it’s due to change soon, so look for him to give the A’s some trouble with that pitch today.
Pick: Rodon Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-147 – 1.5 units)
Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals – 7:40 pm ET
The Royals have been one of the best stories of the season, and the team now looks to do some damage against Yusei Kikuchi and the Blue Jays. The only problem is that Kansas City hasn’t been hitting lefties as hard as righties this year. The Royals are just 21st in the league in wRC+ against southpaws, but they’re 10th in that regard against righties. However, none of that applies to Salvador Perez. The veteran slugger is batting .333 with a homer and four RBIs against lefties this season. And while he’s just 1 for 9 against Kikuchi in his career, I like Perez to do some damage against him here. Kikuchi has been excellent to start the season, but it feels like he has been a little lucky. His hard hit % is down at 31.4% this year despite having been 42.4% or higher in each of the previous three seasons. Look for Kikuchi to start giving up some good contact soon, and Perez just might be the one to give him a little sweet chin music. His hard hit % is up at 52.3% this season.
Pick: Perez Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-135)
San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies – 8:40 pm ET
Manny Machado has three doubles, four homers and 12 RBIs this season and I like him to add to that last number today. The Padres will be at Coors Field for a meeting with the Rockies, and it’ll be lefty Austin Gomber on the hill for Colorado. Well, Machado is just 5 for 26 with a double, a homer and four RBIs against Gomber in his career, but there’s no reason those numbers can’t change drastically. After all, Gomber is a left-handed pitcher and has completely average stuff, at best. And Machado absolutely crushes lefties, as he is batting .284 with a slugging percentage of .499 and an OPS of .854 against southpaws. That said, I don’t think it’s crazy to expect a productive day at the plate from Machado, especially in a game with the highest total on the board.
Pick: Machado Over 0.5 RBIs (-112)
Added Plays
Jared Jones Over 1.5 Earned Runs Allowed (-144 – 1.5 units) vs. Brewers
Noah Schanuel Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-110 – 1.5 units) vs. Orioles
Keaton Winn Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-104 – 1.5 units) vs. Mets
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