Elly De La Cruz and Bobby Witt Jr. came into the majors with sky-high expectations and they've both been playing up to the hype.
My MLB picks for today are betting on both superstars to have big games while also making a plus-money wager on Dodgers cleanup hitter Teoscar Hernandez.
Here are my three favorite MLB player props for Tuesday, August 13.
MLB props for August 13
- Elly De La Cruz Over 1.5 total bases (+120 at bet365)
- Bobby Witt Jr. Over 1.5 total bases (-135 at bet365)
- Teoscar Hernandez Over 0.5 RBI (+160 at bet365)
Today’s best MLB props
Prop bet #1: Elly De La Cruz Over 1.5 total bases
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz has broken out as a sophomore, slashing .266/.350/.499 while ranking 16th in the majors with 227 total bases through 117 games. The newly minted All-Star has been on fire over the last month, slashing .323/.380/.616.
The switch-hitting De La Cruz also hits better against righties, slugging .572, and will be facing St. Louis Cardinals righty Erick Fedde today. Fedde is putting together a solid season, but his expected ERA (3.87) isn't great and he has struggled for most of his career. Fedde relies primarily on a cutter, sinker, and sweeper that he throws a combined 82% of the time. De La Cruz crushes those offerings, slugging .593 versus sinkers while batting .370 against cutters and .333 off sweepers.
When you also factor in that Great American Ballpark is conducive to home runs, the Over 1.5 total bases for De La Cruz is the top play for my MLB picks.
Prop bet #2: Bobby Witt Jr. Over 1.5 Total Bases
Bobby Witt Jr. has broken out this year, leading the majors in batting average (.347) while ranking third in doubles (33), second in triples (11), and 19th in home runs (23). He's been even better since the start of July, slashing .439/.476/.803 through 33 games.
Today, Witt and the Kansas City Royals face the Minnesota Twins at Target Field, which is the No. 6-ranked stadium for boosting offensive stats, according to THE BAT X.
With Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack on the IL, Minnesota has called up righthander Zebby Matthews for his MLB debut. Matthews is a promising prospect but was shaky at Triple-A, pitching to a 5.68 ERA across four starts.
Witt has excellent reverse platoon splits, slugging .621 against righties and the Twins are a poor fielding team which should help him eclipse 1.5 total bases here.
Prop bet #3: Teoscar Hernandez Over 0.5 RBIs
Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Colin Rea is 10-3 with a 3.38 ERA and an OBA of .238 through 122 1/3 innings. That said, the 34-year-old has significantly worse xERA (4.75) and xBA (.271), numbers that are more in line with his career stats. That suggests regression is incoming, which could happen in a big way tonight against a hard-hitting Los Angeles Dodgers squad.
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez is slashing .272/.336/.507 while ranking 13th in the majors in RBI (79). With Hernandez batting cleanup in the lineup behind perennial All-Stars Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, bet on him to drive in a run tonight.
This is a five-star play from THE BAT X which projects 0.7 RBIs for Hernandez.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Today’s MLB games
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