The 2022 World Series got off to a thrilling start, and fans are in for a wild ride if the rest of the series is like Game 1.
The Houston Astros took a 5-0 lead at home thanks primarily to two home runs off the bat of Kyle Tucker, but the Philadelphia Phillies rallied back to tie things up in the fifth inning before nabbing a 6-5 victory in extra innings. This win has now positioned the Phillies as favorites in the World Series odds.
Let’s turn our attention now to Game 2, where potential World Series MVP Bryce Harper’s MLB player props are a hot topic of discussion among bettors.
Bryce Harper World Series Game 2 prop picks
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Bryce Harper World Series Game 2 props
Delivering on the hype
Bryce Harper has been excellent for Philadelphia, leading them to the sport’s biggest stage with his playoff heroics. It’s seemingly impossible to deliver on the mountainous hype that was heaped on him as a teenager, but becoming a playoff hero is certainly one way to live up to your calling.
Harper has been a man possessed in the playoff, batting .426 while swatting five home runs across 51 plate appearances. Despite this fact, his total bases prop is listed at 1.5 with +140 to the Over at DraftKings Sportsbooks.
We’ll be attacking the Over for this one at plus odds. Harper has averaged 3.6 total bases per game across his last 10 outings — two full bases per game above his prop. Harper is dialed in at the plate and this prop allows us to bet on him continuing some of that success without rolling the dice on an exact outcome. He can still reach this prop in just one swing of the bat, or two little singles get us home.
Prop: Over 1.5 total bases (+140)
Bryce brings them home
Harper’s RBI prop is set at 0.5 with +175 to the Over at BetRivers. I believe that line is off considering Harper is averaging 1.0 RBIs across his last 10 games. If he has an average game per the high bar he has set during the playoffs, he’ll cash this prop at juicy +175 odds.
That seems too good for me to pass up. Even if he has surprises by having a lousy game at the plate, he can still reach an RBI via a sacrifice fly or fielder’s choice. While his matchup against Framer Valdez seems like a tough one at first, let’s dive a little bit deeper to see how this lefty-on-lefty matchup might play out.
Harper has just a .775 OPS against lefties this season, far below his .924 OPS against right-handed pitching. When evaluating his home-road splits, it tells a different story, however. When facing left-handed pitchers on the road, Harper has a 1.095 OPS. Valdez has surrendered a .240 batting average at home and a .209 batting average on the road. While this is undoubtedly still a tough matchup for Harper, it’s not evident that we should expect him to suddenly go ice cold.
Prop: Over 0.5 RBI (+175)
Swinging for the fences
If you want to take a swing at some long odds, this last prop might be for you. Harper is one of the most lethal power hitters in the sport and is getting +600 odds to hit a home run during Game 2. While he does have a tough matchup against Valdez, he’s crushed five home runs in 12 playoff games and has proven that he is a threat in any and all matchups.
He has been a demon on the road this season, possessing a .539 slugging percentage in away games. While the natural inclination is to bring up the fact that he’s facing a quality left-handed pitcher (Valdez had a 2.82 ERA during the regular season), let me go back to Harper’s splits. The Philadelphia star has a massive .649 slugging percentage against left-handed pitching in away games this season.
While betting on home runs is always a roll of the dice, Harper is as hot as any hitter can be and there is a reason to expect him to deliver yet again on the sport’s brightest stage. The lineup around him has been providing ample support, so the Astros may not be able to simply pitch around Harper.
Adding extra base runners against a hot Philadelphia lineup is not an ideal scenario in a game that Houston must win to avoid going down 2-0 in the series before heading to Phildelphia for Games 3 through 5. Pitch to Harper at your own risk…
Prop: Over 0.5 home runs (+600)
