MLB Home Run Props, Bets & Picks: Friday (7/25)
The 2025 MLB season rolls on with another full slate of games on Friday. With 15 matchups and all 30 teams to choose from, let’s dive into the top MLB home run props, picks and predictions for Friday’s action.
Betting on specific players to hit a home run is a fun and alternative way to get action on MLB games. The plus-money odds can provide bigger payouts if you nail the right guy to go yard. Let’s focus on a couple of MLB players worth backing to hit a homer on Friday, July 25th.
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Friday's Best MLB Home Run Props & Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Elly De La Cruz (+275)
It's no secret that Zack Littell is one of the most homer-prone pitchers in the Majors. The Tampa Bay Rays starter has allowed a league-high 24 home runs this season. Plus, his 1.77 HR/9 rate is the second-highest among qualified starting pitchers.
Littell's issues with home runs have been more prevalent on the road. He's coughed up 16 homers over 10 road starts with a rough 2.18 HR/9 rate away from home. The Rays righty also owns a 5.76 FIP on the road this year.
Enter Elly De La Cruz. The Cincinnati Reds shortstop has 18 homers on the season and boasts multiple splits in his favor here. Against right-handed pitchers, he's batting .300 with a .535 slugging rate and a .929 OPS. The switch-hitter has also slugged 13 of his 18 homers versus righties.
Those numbers against righties are even better at home. In that split, De La Cruz has a .317 batting average, .545 slugging rate and .965 OPS. He's also hitting well recently with a .314 batting average and .877 OPS over his last month of games.
De La Cruz is overdue to hit a home run. He hasn't hit one in 24 games. Before that, though, he cranked six homers in an 11-game span. Hopefully, a return home tonight will awaken his power, especially against a pitcher like Littell.
On that note, Littell is allowing a .557 slugging rate and .867 OPS to lefty hitters on the road this year. He's also giving up a hefty 2.89 HR/9 rate to lefties in away starts. It all lines up for De La Cruz to go deep in Cincinnati's hitter-friendly park.
Bryce Harper (+255)
Bryce Harper is one of the hottest hitters in the league. In July, he's batting .323 with a .710 slugging rate and 1.118 OPS. He's also hit five home runs over his last 10 games with a .400 batting average and 1.467 OPS in this stretch.
Since the All-Star break, Harper has hit four homers across six games. He's a force at the plate and is showing no signs of cooling off anytime soon. Let's back the Philadelphia Phillies first baseman to keep it going in a favorable hitting environment against a shaky pitcher tonight.
Harper will face New York Yankees starter Will Warren, who has a 4.91 ERA and 1.44 WHIP this season. Warren has only allowed 11 homers through 21 starts so far, but a chunk of those have come recently. The righty has coughed up five bombs over his last four starts coming into Friday.
Warren has been notably worse against left-handed hitters this year. He's allowing a .282 batting average, .481 slugging rate and .859 OPS to lefties compared to a .213 batting average, .309 slugging rate and a .582 OPS against righties. The Yankees starter has also given up nine of his 11 homers to lefty swingers, including a lofty 1.61 HR/9 rate in the split.
As for Harper, he owns a .271 batting average, .512 slugging rate and .915 OPS against right-handed pitchers. He also boasts a .241 ISO versus righties with eight of his 14 homers this season in the split. Plus, Harper has good numbers in the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium across his career (.304 batting average, .522 slugging rate, 1.006 OPS).