MLB Player Props for Tuesday, April 2nd
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 Tuesday, April 2nd.
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Minnesota Twins at Milwaukee Brewers – 4:10 pm ET
Christian Yelich went 0 for 2 on Sunday, but he was 5 for 9 with a homer and two RBIs before that. After a year in which Yelich batted .278 with 34 doubles, 19 homers and 76 RBIs, it feels like he’s a little under appreciated heading into the season. But this is a player that was once one of the league’s most dangerous hitters. And he clearly found something last year, and it carried into Spring Training. In 33 at-bats, Yelich hit .303 with two doubles, a triple, two homers and six RBIs for Milwaukee. So, his hot start to the regular season didn’t come out of nowhere. And Yelich, who hit .294 with a triple, 29 doubles, 16 homers and 65 RBIs against righties last year, gets a shot at righty Louie Varland today. Varland got lit up in his final two Spring Training starts, giving up 14 earned runs on 16 hits in just 9.0 innings of work. So, this is a matchup that Yelich should be able to take advantage of.
Pick: Yelich Over 1.5 Total Bases (+120)
Colorado Rockies at Chicago Cubs – 7:40 pm ET
Kyle Freeland got absolutely shelled in his first start of the year, giving up 10 earned runs on 10 hits in just 2.1 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks. But I like this matchup a lot better for the lefty, especially with it taking place outside of hitter-friendly Chase Field. Last year, Freeland pitched 6.0 innings of three-run ball against this Cubs team at Coors Field. And while the lefty only struck out two batters in that game, I like him to reach the four-strikeout mark here — and the plus-money odds don’t hurt. Freeland isn’t a guy that misses a lot of bats, but he went Over this mark in 12 of his 29 starts last season. So, this isn’t some untouchable number for the 30-year-old. And he’s just too good of a pitcher not to bounce back in a big way after that disastrous outing in the desert. The Cubs also struck out six times against the only other lefty they faced this year.
Pick: Freeland Over 3.5 Strikeouts (+115)
Atlanta Braves at Chicago White Sox – 7:40 pm ET
Yoan Moncada is coming off a two-hit game against the Braves on Monday, and he is now on a three-game hitting streak. With that in mind, I find it a little odd that his MLB player props are so reasonable to back. You don’t have to lay all that much juice for Moncada to just extend this hitting streak one more day. And that’s especially surprising when you consider that Reynaldo Lopez, Atlanta’s fifth starter, is on the mound today. Moncada hasn’t quite lived up to the hype for Chicago, but he can still be dangerous at the plate. And that’s amplified when Moncada is facing pitchers that don’t work in too many offspeed pitches. Well, Lopez’s pitch distribution in 2023 had him throwing fastballs and sliders 93% of the time. Perhaps that changes drastically as he transitions to a starter. But for now, this looks iike a juicy matchup for Moncada. And he should flirt with four or five at-bats in this game.
Pick: Moncada Over 0.5 Hits (-137)
