MLB Home Run Prop Bet Odds & Picks: Friday (5/17)

The weekend is finally upon us and we have a fantastic few days of sports on the horizon. I'm keeping it on the diamond tonight, where I've locked in a trio of longshot MLB home run prop bets. Here are three players who are primed to touch’em all as my MLB home run prop bet picks.

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MLB Home Run Prop Bet Odds & Picks

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Oneil Cruz (+475)

The Pirates raised the Jolly Roger in last night's series opener against the Cubs, winning 5-4. They'll look to make it two in a row this afternoon when they send Paul Skenes to the bump. Chicago counters with Kyle Hendricks in this matinee contest set for 2:20 p.m. ET from Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL.

It has been a very ugly start to the season for Hendricks, who enters this divisional game at 0-3, bringing in a 10.04 ERA and 1.92 WHIP. Historically a groundball pitcher, the right-hander has been serving up plenty of home run-worthy pitches in 2024. His HR/9 rate is an insane 3.12 over 26.0 innings pitched this season.

The 34-year-old hurler will have to deal with a Pittsburgh bunch that's been hitting for power lately, launching 18 home runs over the last 15 days (fifth). Specifically, Oneil Cruz is heating up, as he has eight home runs so far this season. That includes five this month, one of which came in last night's win. Cruz took Hendricks deep in their series last weekend, so he's 1-2 (.500) against the veteran with a bomb. With each guy's current form, it's worth a flier on Cruz at this price.

Aaron Judge (+180)

The first-place Yankees are playing excellent baseball right now, entering their weekend series riding a four-game winning streak. They'll look to keep things rolling when they send Nestor Cortes to the mound. The White Sox counter with Mike Clevinger in this American League tilt, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET from Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY.

Clevinger has made just two starts this season, but he hasn't looked overpowering in either. The right-hander's thrown 6.2 innings this season and he owns a 5.40 ERA and 2.10 WHIP. Over the limited sample size, Clevinger has registered a 1.35 HR/9 rate. He wasn't immune to giving up the long ball last season, where he posted a 1.10 HR/9 mark.

After a pretty slow start to the season, Aaron Judge is turning a corner and finding his swing. He's slashing .378/.500/.867 this month, which equates to an inflated 1.367 OPS. He has five tanks this month, which includes the home run he hit during his 4-4 day in Thursday's series finale against the Twins. Judge has also found success against Clevinger in the past, going 4-11 (.364) against him with a nuke. Let's take the upward-trending, always-dangerous Judge to touch’em all.

Shohei Ohtani (+245)

The National League foes will square off for Game 2 on Friday night. We have a pitching matchup between Frankie Montas and James Paxton. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA.

Montas has had an up-and-down season over his seven starts. He ultimately enters this contest at 2-3 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. Over 30.0 innings of work, the right-hander owns a 1.20 HR/9 rate.

This Los Angeles lineup has massacred Montas in the past, slashing .418/.500/.800 over 55 at-bats. That's a 1.300 OPS over a large data set of 55 at-bats. Specifically, Shohei Ohtani has seen him extremely well, going 10-24 (.417) against him with four round-trippers. The DH has launched 12 home runs this season and his 1.108 OPS is first in the Majors. Let's back Ohtani to go yard in this spot.

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday: