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 April 9. 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!
Thursday Player Prop Best Bets
Below you’ll find my official plays on the player prop market for Thursday. These are the ones that make the VSiN Pro Picks page and count towards my season-long record.
Bo Bichette Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-128) vs. Tigers
Tigers at Mets – 7:10 pm ET
Bichette is off to a bit of a slow start this season, batting .222 with no homers and six RBIs. However, there’s a really good chance he turns in a good night at the plate on Thursday. Bichette will be facing a pitcher that he’s very familiar with, as he has had 13 at-bats against Eduardo Rodriguez. In those at-bats, Bichette has five hits, with one being a double and two being bombs. I think there’s a real chance we see an extra-base hit out of the 28-year-old tonight, but I’m going HRR over total bases. The prices for HRR plays aren’t quite as good as you get with total bases, but there’s a few more ways you can win.
Seth Lugo Over 17.5 Outs Recorded (-124) vs. White Sox
White Sox at Royals – 7:40 pm ET
Lugo only recorded 15 outs against the Brewers in his last start, but he recorded 19 against the Braves on March 29. Lugo is generally pretty reliable when it comes to eating up innings, and I’d be surprised if he can’t take advantage of tonight’s matchup with the White Sox. This Chicago team is off to a very slow start this season, ranking 28th in batting average (.207), 25th in OBP (.291), and 26th in wRC+ (82). Of course, the sample size is still small this early in the season, but this isn’t anything different than what we saw last year. This White Sox lineup is one of the least intimidating ones in baseball. And last year, Lugo pitched 6.2 innings of one-run ball in his only home start against Chicago.
Mickey Moniak Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (+106) vs. Padres
Rockies at Padres – 9:40 pm ET
I haven’t had much success deciding who to back on the Rockies lately, which is almost impressive considering the amount of runs they’ve been putting up. However, I’m going to keep taking my chances, even with this game being in San Diego tonight. I just like the matchup for Moniak. The 27-year-old is up to .286 with three homers and five RBIs now, as he’s on a four-game hitting streak and has delivered with some big plate appearances. And while this game won’t be played at Coors Field, Moniak will be going up against a righty in Randy Vasquez. Well, in 2025, Moniak batted .276 with 23 homers and 62 RBIs versus right-handed pitching, and he has picked up where he left off in 2026.
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.
Anthony Kay Over 3.5 Strikeouts (+142) vs. Royals
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him going for 4.65 strikeouts, suggesting these odds should be -215 — a +26.9% edge to the Over.
Nick Kurtz Over 1.5 Total Bases (+172) vs. Yankees
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 2.07 total bases, suggesting these odds should be -158 — a +24.6% edge to the Over.
Brent Rooker Over 1.5 Total Bases (+168) vs. Yankees
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 2.01 total bases, suggesting these odds should be -148 — a +22.4% edge to the Over.
