The first full week of the MLB season is upon us, and the board is chock-full of value in the player prop market with 12 games on the schedule.
Riding hot streaks can be profitable early in the season before we get a larger sample size of data, so that’s what we'll be doing when we look at Rays shortstop Wander Franco when they host the A’s. Then we hope Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford can start a hot streak of his own against the Padres.
Here are our best free MLB player prop picks for Monday, April 11.
Editor's note: Ontario! Welcome to the world of regulated sports betting. Visit our Ontario sports betting page for the best legal betting sites available to you and all the information you need about this emerging industry.
MLB props for April 11
- Houser Over 3.5 strikeouts (+134)
- Franco Over 1.5 total bases (+110)
- Crawford Over 1.5 total bases (+150)
Picks made on 4/11/2022 at 12:40 p.m. ET.
The odds widgets below represent the best odds currently available for each betting market at regulated sportsbooks.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2022 MLB season, here are two of the best bonuses* available:
A) Rays to win + Brandon Lowe Over 1.5 total bases + Wander Franco Over 1.5 total bases BOOSTED to +500 (was +375) at bet365! Claim Now
B) Kris Bryant and Marcus Semien to each hit a single BOOSTED to +300 at Caesars! Claim Now
*Eligible USA locations only
Today’s best MLB prop bets
The Houser always wins
We have already begun what looks like another long season for the Baltimore Orioles. The O’s opened their 2022 campaign by getting handily swept by the Tampa Bay Rays. Now, things won’t get any easier as they welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to town, who are the betting favorites to win the National League Central.
In the opener of this three-game set, the O’s will face Adrian Houser. While the right-hander isn’t Corbin Burnes or Brandon Woodruff, he is more than a reliable arm at the back-end of the Brewers rotation.
Houser pitched to a 3.22 ERA, a 4.33 FIP, and limited opponents to a .223 batting average last season. And while he wasn't a huge strikeout guy, with just 6.6 punchouts per nine innings, this strikeout total might still be a touch low at 3.5.
The Orioles were mowed down by Tampa Bay pitching, striking out a whopping 37 times in their first three games and while Houser doesn’t put up huge numbers, he still averaged 3.8 strikeouts per start and usually pitches deep enough into games, averaging 5 1/3 innings of work in 2021. He should be able to go Over this number against the free-swinging Orioles.
Getting it at plus money is just the cherry on top.
Pick: Adrian Houser Over 3.5 strikeouts (+134)
It's a Wanderful life
We're looking to tap into a hot streak with Wander Franco today when he and the Tampa Bay Rays open a four-game series with the lowly Oakland Athletics.
Franco continues to live up to the hype after a phenomenal rookie season and the former No. 1 overall prospect has been locked in to start the 2022 campaign. Now, a season-opening matchup with the Orioles sure helps that but the A’s don’t pose much more of a threat.
The Rays shortstop is already on a tear, starting the season 6-for-11 (.545) after a rookie season that saw him hit .288 with an .810 OPS. Now, he’ll face A’s right-hander Paul Blackburn in the Rays’ home opener.
Blackburn has been a spot starter to this point in his career. Last season, he made nine starts for the A’s, pitching to a 5.87 ERA, 5.47 FIP, and 1.62 WHIP, all while allowing opponents to knock him around for a .319 batting average. The right-hander relies mostly on a sinker and cutter, but the problem is they don’t sink or cut a whole lot and end up flat.
Bet on Franco to stay hot early this season and go Over his total bases in this one.
Pick: Wander Franco Over 1.5 total bases (+110)
Stuck in his Crawford
A lot of things will have to break right for the San Francisco Giants if they want to repeat their impressive 107-campaign from a season ago. One of those things will have to be Brandon Crawford having another standout year at the plate.
The veteran shortstop was selected to his fourth All-Star team and finished fourth in MVP voting after hitting .298 with a career-high .895 OPS. Now, Crawford has come out the gates a little slowly, going just 1-for-11 over his first three games, but he gets an interesting matchup tonight when the Giants host the San Diego Padres for the opener of a three-game set.
That’s because the Padres are handing the ball to right-hander Nick Martinez. Yes, the same Nick Martinez who hasn’t pitched in the MLB since 2017. That Nick Martinez.
The right-hander pitched to a 4.77 ERA, 5.36 FIP, and 1.50 WHIP over four seasons with the Texas Rangers. Then Martinez headed over to Japan where he pitched three mediocre seasons in the NPB before an outstanding 2021, which was enough to earn a contract with the Padres.
But he's a bit of a trial by fire in his first start back in the Bigs, going against this crafty Giants lineup is no easy task. We're betting Crawford has the edge in this matchup and gets his season rolling with some solid contact tonight.
Pick: Brandon Crawford Over 1.5 total bases (+150)
Did you know that if you played today’s MLB props as a parlay, you could win $112.85on a $10 bet?
Use our NBA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
