MLB Props Today: Early, Imai Strikeouts Among the Top Prop Bets

Top MLB Player Props at a Glance

• Tatsuya Imai Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+106)
• Connelly Early Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-110)
• JJ Wetherholt 2+ Hits/Runs/RBI (-150)

The beauty of baseball is the wide variety of prop markets at your fingertips each day -- from home runs to strikeouts to total bases and much more.

Here are some MLB player props that look appealing via the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. You can also check out our MLB player news page to stay up to date with lineup news and injuries.as well as our MLB projections.

MLB odds via FanDuel Sportsbook and may change throughout the day after this article is published. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

What are the top MLB home run picks for today?

MLB Prop Bets: MLB Props for Today

Tatsuya Imai Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+106)

Astros vs. Tigers, 6:41 p.m. ET

Tatsuya Imai has been super volatile in his first MLB campaign, and while that makes him a little scary in the K market, it also means he has big-time upside if you can catch him on a good day. I think today can be one of those days.

Imai has strikeout outputs of 11, 1, 8, 5 and 2 over his last five starts. He's all over the place. But in a matchup with the Detroit Tigers, a team that has the 10th-highest K rate (23.0%), Imai can hit on the high range of his K outcomes.

Even in some of his lower-strikeout games, Imai has missed plenty of bats. Since coming off the IL seven starts ago, his swinging-strike rate is an impressive 13.6%, so he's likely been a little unlucky to have games of one and two Ks.

I don't mind Imai to get seven-plus Ks at +220, but Imai to notch at least six punchouts at plus-money odds is my favorite strikeout prop today.

Connelly Early Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-110)

Yankees vs. Red Sox, 7:11 p.m. ET

Connelly Early is a promising young pitcher, but I think the strikeout market is overvaluing him a bit.

Early's 3.64 ERA and 22.5% K rate look dang good. However, once you pop the hood, there are some worrying signs. Early's 9.5% swinging-strike rate is a pedestrian clip and points to his K rate being a little higher than it should be. It's the same story with his ERA estimators as Early's FIP is 4.87.

While Early has cleared 5.5 Ks in four of his past five outings, I think he'll have a tough time doing so tonight versus a New York Yankees offense that grinds out plate appearances as well as anyone, ranking second in wOBA and second in walk rate. In his lone previous meeting with the Yanks this year, Early fanned four in 5.1 innings.

JJ Wetherholt 2+ Hits/Runs/RBI (-150)

Diamondbacks vs. Cardinals, 7:46 p.m. ET

Zac Gallen is having a nightmare season, especially against left-handed hitters. It's why I have Alec Burleson as the best home run bet for today, and it's also why I'm backing rookie JJ Wetherholt to notch two-plus H/R/RBI.

Gallen is allowing a .399 wOBA and massive 52.3% hard-hit rate to lefties this year. Across his previous 10 starts, Gallen owns a 7.76 ERA (6.01 expected ERA) and is giving up 1.94 homers per nine.

Wetherholt's St. Louis Cardinals' career is off to a sparkling start. He's got 12 bombs and a .352 expected wOBA overall. He has posted a .392 wOBA over his last 62 plate appearances.

Likely to be atop the lineup, Wetherholt is in a great spot for run production and could see five-plus trips to the plate if the Cards rough up Gallen. Wetherholt to record at least two H/R/RBI is my top batter prop tonight.

MLB Prop Bets -- Frequently Asked Questions

What are MLB player prop bets?

MLB player prop bets are wagers on specific statistical outcomes tied to individual players during a game — not on which team wins or loses. You might bet on how many strikeouts a starting pitcher records, whether a shortstop gets a hit, or how many total bases an outfielder accumulates.

Because they are isolated to a single player's performance, props let you apply focused knowledge about matchups, recent form, and ballpark conditions rather than predicting the full game result.

What types of MLB player props are available?

FanDuel offers a wide menu of MLB props. The most common categories include:

• Pitcher strikeouts
• Batter hits
• Home runs
• Total bases
• RBIs
• Stolen bases
• Pitcher outs recorded

How do MLB player prop bet odds work?

MLB prop odds use the standard American (moneyline) format. A negative number shows how much you must wager to profit $100. A positive number shows how much a $100 bet returns in profit.

• -110 odds — bet $110 to win $100
• +130 odds — bet $100 to win $130
• -200 odds — bet $200 to win $100

What does "total bases" mean as a prop bet?

The total bases prop counts the bases a batter earns from hits in a single game:

• Single = 1 base
• Double = 2 bases
• Triple = 3 bases
• Home run = 4 bases

Walks, hit-by-pitches, and stolen bases do not count. A typical total bases line is set at 1.5 or 2.5. Betting over 1.5 means you need at least a double, or two singles.

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

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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.