MLB Player Props for Wednesday, April 17th
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 Wednesday, April 17th.
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San Francisco Giants at Miami Marlins – 12:10 pm ET
It’s a little surprising to see Michael Conforto’s total bases total at 0.5 for today. The 31-year-old is batting .292 with four homers and 14 RBIs this year, and he comes into this game on a four-game hitting streak. Conforto is looking a lot like the player that was once extremely dangerous at the plate for the New York Mets. So, I’m going to him with today’s MLB player props.
I know Conforto is 0 for 5 against Trevor Rogers in his career, and he is a much better hitter against righties than lefties. But with the way Conforto is seeing the ball, I think he’s worth playing at this price. And he could get a shot at some righties later in the game, when the Marlins turn to the bullpen.
Pick: Conforto Over 0.5 Total Bases (-135)
UPDATE: Conforto isn’t in the lineup today. This bet will be voided.
St. Louis Cardinals at Oakland Athletics – 3:37 pm ET
This season, Steven Matz is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA over three starts. The lefty has been very dialed in for St. Louis, even doing his job in road starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks. The one thing Matz hasn’t been able to do is work deep in games. The 5.1 innings Matz pitched against the Dodgers in his first start of the year was his longest outing. But I think that will change against the Athletics tonight. Last year, Oakland had the fourth-lowest wRC+ in MLB against lefties. This year, only four teams have a lower wRC+ against southpaws. With that in mind, Matz should be able to cruise in this start, especially with Oakland Coliseum being extremely pitcher friendly when it comes to Park Factor.
Pick: Matz Over 16.5 Outs Recorded (-119 – 1.5 units)
Los Angeles Angels at Tampa Bay Rays – 6:50 pm ET
Zack Littell only had four strikeouts when he faced the Angels last Wednesday, but he had at least five strikeouts in each of his previous two starts. And Littell probably would have had at least five against Los Angeles if he didn’t have so much trouble keeping his pitch count down early in the game. But I still like the righty to rack up a decent number of strikeouts here. The Angels have seen their strikeout rate go down over the last few games, but they still have the 10th-highest mark against righties this year. And they had the fifth-highest strikeout rate against righties last year. So, Littell should be able to miss some bats, even though he’s not exactly a swing-and-miss pitcher.
Pick: Littell Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-132 – 2 units)
Added Plays
Bryce Harper Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-130 – 1.5 units)
Triston Casas Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-135)
Yesterday’s Plays
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