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 17. 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!
Friday Player Prop Best Bets
Below you’ll find my official plays on the player prop market for Friday. These are the ones that make the VSiN Pro Picks page and count towards my season-long record. I’ll write three up per day but I’ll add additional ones in an “Additional Best Bets” section. That’s also where you’ll find any late adds to my card.
2026 Record: 66-62 (+0.35 units)
Cam Schlittler Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-137) vs. Royals
Royals at Yankees – 7:05 pm ET
The juice on Schlittler to go Over 5.5 strikeouts is much tougher to stomach in some shops, but this is where I’d advise looking into prediction markets. At essentially -137 odds, grabbing Schlittler to strike out at least six batters becomes a much easier decision. This season, Schlittler has racked up at least seven strikeouts in all four of his starts. He continues to look the part of a borderline ace, and I trust him to utilize his nasty stuff against a burnable lineup. The Royals have a 22.8% strikeout rate this year, which is way up from 18.2% last year. We’ll find out soon whether the increased K rate is here to stay for the lineup, but I’m riding Schlittler’s hot hand for now.
Mike Trout Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-125) vs. Padres
Padres at Angels – 9:40 pm ET
Trout has gone Over 1.5 HRR in 13 of the 19 games he has played this season, and he comes into this game having had at least two in seven consecutive games. Trout has also homered in four straight coming into this one, so it’s clear he’s swinging a hot bat. As long as Trout can stay healthy, there’s no reason to believe he can’t keep this up. And while he’s due for a bad performance at some point in the near future, I do like the matchup tonight. Matt Waldron, who is slated to go this evening, hasn’t yet pitched this season. He’s also coming off a year in which he only started one game because of other injuries. Well, if Waldron isn’t sharp from the start, Trout will pounce and take advantage. He’s essentially swinging at a beach volleyball right now.
Jacob deGrom Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-131) vs. Mariners
Rangers at Mariners – 9:40 pm ET
DeGrom is coming off a great start against the Dodgers, pitching 6.0 innings of one-run ball and striking out nine against the best lineup in baseball. Well, deGrom now gets a second crack at a lineup he already shut down on April 6, as he pitched 5.0 innings of one-run ball and struck out six against the Mariners in that one. Tonight, I’m expecting another really strong outing from the righty, but I’m expecting an uptick in strikeouts. DeGrom has some of the best stuff in the league, and the Mariners have the fourth-highest strikeout rate (25.4%) in baseball this year. That’s no fluke either with Seattle having finished with the seventh-highest strikeout rate (23.3%) in baseball last year.
Additional Best Bets
Edward Cabrera Over 15.5 Outs Recorded (-125) vs. Mets
Chris Bassitt Over 3.5 Strikeouts (-130) vs. Guardians
Matt Olson Over 1.5 Total Bases (+125) vs. Phillies
Ranger Suarez Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-120) vs. Tigers
Ezequiel Tovar Over 0.5 Total Bases (-150) vs. Dodgers
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.
Joc Pederson Over 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-106) vs. Mariners
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him going for 1.52 HRR, suggesting these odds should be -359 — a +26.8% edge to the Over.
Luke Raley Over 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-142) vs. Rangers
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 1.59 HRR, suggesting these odds should be -392 — a +21.0% edge to the Over.
Rece Hinds Over 0.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-150) vs. Twins
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 1.64 HRR, suggesting these odds should be -418 — a +20.7% edge to the Over.
