The first quarter of the 2026 MLB season has been nothing short of thrilling. Powerful sluggers coming through in the clutch, skilled rookies becoming household names and elite pitchers prevailing on the mound. The fun continues on Sunday with all 30 teams in action. Here's a look at three MLB player props and picks for Sunday, May 17th.
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Sunday’s Top MLB Player Props & Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Gavin Williams Over 17.5 Outs Recorded (-137)
Gavin Williams spearheads an underrated Cleveland pitching staff. The 26-year-old has impressed with a 3.74 ERA to go with 66 strikeouts across nine starts. More notably, he has provided great length.
Williams has recorded at least 18 outs in each of his last five starts, and even pitched into the seventh inning twice during that stretch. A prominent jump in strikeout rate (24.6% in 2025 to 29.3% in 2026) has helped him log efficient innings.
Another chance to shine awaits Williams on Sunday. The Reds have struggled outside the confines of the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. Cincinnati ranks 24th in both on-base percentage (.293) and run differential (-18) on the road. Poor at-bats have led to the opposing starter reaching the 18-out mark in nine of the Reds’ previous 15 away contests. Trust Williams to exploit a favorable matchup with the home crowd cheering him on.
Colin Rea Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+106)
Strikeout artist is not a term anyone would use to describe Chicago’s Colin Rea. However, this line sticks out as too low. The veteran right-hander has tallied at least five strikeouts in six of his past nine starts, dating back to September of 2025.
A creative seven-pitch arsenal has paved the way for Rea to post a career-high 34.5% chase rate so far this campaign. Successfully tempting batters to swing at pitches outside the zone is an important skill.
A showdown with the White Sox should not cause any bettors to hesitate. Manager Will Venable’s offense has recorded the third-most strikeouts in the American League (411) and the highest whiff rate (28.6%) in all of baseball.
First baseman Munetaka Murakami and shortstop Colson Montgomery are two of only 29 pros with more than 50 strikeouts at the plate. Expect Rea to have the upper hand on Sunday afternoon.
Jose Ramirez to Hit a Home Run (+374)
Let’s circle back to the clash in Cleveland. Cincinnati’s Brady Singer enters Sunday with a lackluster 5.79 ERA and 1.67 WHIP (in nine starts. A failure to limit the long ball has been his downfall.
The Florida native has surrendered 11 home runs, which trails just the Cubs’ Jameson Taillon and Washington’s Zack Littell for the highest total among MLB arms. The homers haven’t been cheapies, either, averaging a whopping 404 feet.
The Guardians have a chance to tee off at Progressive Field. I’ll choose Jose Ramirez to leave the yard. The seven-time All-Star has racked up the seventh-most home runs in the Majors since the beginning of 2020 (181) and sports a .583 slugging rate in 53 career games against the Reds.
Keep in mind that Ramirez is also 12-for-29 with three blasts and two doubles versus Singer. The hitter has the advantage in this battle.
