3 Best MLB Player Prop Bets for Thursday 5/8/25

The beauty of baseball is the wide variety of prop markets at your fingertips, from home runs to strikeouts and much more.

Utilizing our MLB projections as a guide, here are some MLB player props bets that look appealing via the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Please note that betting lines and MLB player projections may change throughout the day after this article is published. Also, the weather may be an issue in some locations. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

Best MLB Player Props Today

Kyle Schwarber to Record 2+ Total Bases (+115)

Despite the Philadelphia Phillies removing Kyle Schwarber from the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching this season, the left-handed slugger is still putting together a productive start to the campaign. Besides being tied with Aaron Judge for the league lead in homers (12), Schwarber has the fifth-best wOBA (.425) and sixth-best wRC+ (172) in baseball across his first 161 plate appearances.

When looking at his recent performances, Schwarber has also tallied two-plus bases in 7 of his last 10 outings, totaling 5 home runs and 2 doubles during that span. On Thursday, Schwarber has a decent shot to continue wreaking havoc at the plate versus Ryan Pepiot and the bullpen of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Across his first 7 starts and 38.1 innings pitched, Pepiot is sitting below the 50th percentile in xERA (4.66), xBA (.260), average exit velocity (90.1 MPH), strikeout rate (21.0%), barrel rate (10.3%), and hard-hit rate (41.9%).

In addition to Pepiot's meh numbers, Tampa Bay's bullpen is logging the seventh-worst HR/9 (1.22), seventh-worst barrel rate (9.9%), and worst hard-hit rate (45.9%), so Schwarber could certainly achieve multiple bases via the long ball.

Chris Bassitt 7+ Strikeouts (+154)

During Wednesday's matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels, Jose Berrios -- who is in the 56th percentile in strikeout rate (22.7%), 47th percentile in whiff rate (24.7%), and 38th percentile in chase rate (26.0%) -- finished with 9 Ks in 6.0 innings pitched. Three of the last four right-handed starters the Angels have faced have struck out eight-plus batters, with the lone exception being Jose Urena, who made his first start since last August.

For Thursday's clash between the Blue Jays and Angels, Chris Bassitt will be on the mound, and the experienced righty is ranking in the 86th percentile in chase rate (33.1%) and 72nd percentile in strikeout rate (25.7%). Although Bassitt has tallied fewer than six Ks in three consecutive starts, his swinging strike rate was 10.2% in his last outing, and the Angels are a team to target for strikeouts right now.

Against right-handed pitching, Los Angeles is posting the second-worst strikeout rate (26.3%), eighth-worst wOBA (.302), and seventh-worst wRC+ (92). On top of that, the Angels are sporting the second-highest swinging strike rate (12.7%) and second-highest CSW% (29.2%), putting Bassitt in a stellar spot to bounce back in the strikeout department following some recent shaky starts.

Freddie Freeman to Record an RBI (+125)

There aren't many hitters seeing the baseball better than Freddie Freeman right now as the All-Star first baseman has at least one hit in 12 straight contests. Over that 12-game span, Freeman has benefitted from hitting behind the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts, accumulating a whopping 18 RBIs.

On the season, Freeman is making easy work of right-handed pitching, registering a .533 wOBA, 247 wRC+, .414 ISO, and just a 13.6% strikeout rate in that split (compared to a .322 wOBA, 105 wRC+, .167 ISO, and 18.5% strikeout rate versus left-handed pitching). Brandon Pfaadt is slated to make his eighth start of the season on Thursday, and some of his metrics suggest he'll be in for a long day against Freeman and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Aside from Pfaadt residing in the 18th percentile in xERA (5.31) and 6th percentile in xBA (.306), the 26-year-old righty is permitting a .346 wOBA and 1.98 HR/9 to lefties (compared to a .339 wOBA and 0.69 HR/9 to righties). To put the cherry on top, Freeman also boasts a .413 wOBA or better against each of Pfaadt's three primary pitches versus left-handed hitters (four-seam fastball, changeup, and sinker) since the start of last season.

Get a 30% Profit Boost to use on a 3+ leg parlay or SGP wager on ANY sports game or event taking place on May 8th, 2025! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Which player props stand out to you today? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB betting odds to see the full menu of options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.