MLB Betting: 3 Best Player Prop Bets for Monday 7/29/24

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Utilizing our projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- 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 projections may change throughout the day after this article is published. Also, the weather may be an issue in some locations.

MLB Player Props

Juan Soto to Record an RBI (+125)

The New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies are among the five best records in baseball and will begin a three-game series on Monday. The series starts with heavy hitters on the mound as Luis Gil (3.10 ERA) and Zack Wheeler (2.55 ERA) will be on the bump.

Juan Soto is one of the Yanks' only batters with past success against Wheeler. The two are very familiar with each other, totaling 48 head-to-head appearances as former divisional rivals. Soto is carrying a .250 average and .410 OBP against Wheeler, who holds +150 odds to win the National League Cy Young award.

New York's star outfielder has solid RBI production over his previous seven contests, racking up eight ribbies. Soto has also totaled 3 home runs among his 12 career hits against Wheeler. All it could take is one crack of the bat for Soto to bat in a run. The four-time All-Star has four dingers over his last six.

While Soto smacking a long ball (+320) carries juicy odds, I'm taking the "safer" bet with an RBI. The production has been very consistent over his last seven contests (1.1 per game).

If a Yankee gets in scoring position, Soto has the bat to record an RBI. Wheelers' most-used pitches are his four-same fastball (41.1%) and sinker (18.6%), per Savant. Meanwhile, Soto hits .372 against four seamers and .412 when facing sinkers this season.

Game 1 could be another standout showing for Soto, and the +125 odds to record an RBI seems like a must take.

Willson Contreras to Record 2+ Total Bases (+125)

No one has been rolling like Willson Contreras in the St. Louis Cardinals' batting order. He's reached at least two total bases in three straight games, including a homer in back-to-back games.

The opportunity is present for Contreras to keep it up against the Texas Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi. While the Rangers' starter has mostly provided solid starts in July with a 3.00 ERA over five appearances, he's far from invincible. In fact, Eovaldi just let up eight hits and six earned runs on July 19th.

Contreras has been raking against four-seam fastballs (.323) and splitters (.400) in 2024. Guess which pitches are Eovaldi's go-to choices? Yep, a four seamer (36.7%) and splitter (30.8%).

As previously mentioned, Contreras' slugging has also spiked in recent contests with two dingers over the last two contests. Eovaldi sits in the bottom 17% of hard-hit percentage and has allowed five big flies over his previous four.

Recording just one extra-base hit would do the job for Contreras to reach two bases. St. Louis' catcher has the ideal matchup to make it happen against Eovaldi.

Paul Skenes Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+110)

Among starting pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched, Paul Skenes leads baseball with a 2.40 SIERA and 2.27 xFIP. The strikeout numbers are just as good with Skenes holding a 34.2% strikeout percentage (K%) and 11.69 K/9 -- both marks are the second-highest among starters.

Skenes is logging 8.1 Ks per game on the season and 9.0 in July. It's hard to pass on over 7.5 strikeouts carrying plus odds.

The Pittsburgh Pirates' rookie has a tough task against the Houston Astros, who have the third-lowest K% in MLB. This lineup can still be susceptible, though.

Houston just struck out 11 times on Sunday. Plus, they have the 3rd-highest chase rate in baseball while Skenes is in the 78th percentile of this category.

The Astros sitting outside the top 10 in runs above average against sliders only helps Skenes' case. His slider touts a 42.9% strikeout rate with opponents carrying an expected batting average (xBA) of .126.

Considering Skenes' absurd numbers, it's rare to get the over with plus odds. The Pirates' hurler should still have enough advantages to reach at least eight Ks yet again.

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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.