With a full slate of MLB games, I'm dissecting the best MLB player props for the day. Janson Junk will get a shot at the strikeout-prone lineup of the Chicago White Sox, while Shohei Ohtani will make his first start of the season as a pitcher against the Cleveland Guardians. Then, Yandy Diaz will look to keep up his incredible start at the plate as he faces Brandon Woodruff and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Here are the best MLB player prop bets for Tuesday, March 31st.
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Tuesday’s Best MLB Player Props
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook | This Season: 0-0-0
Janson Junk Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+136)
The White Sox have struck out 53 times in just four games this season, the second-worst average in the league. So far, they have one strikeout in every 2.5 at-bats. Yesterday, against Marlins starter Chris Paddack, they scored eight runs, but still struck out six times in just four innings.
Janson Junk doesn't strike out a lot of batters. Last season, he only managed 77 strikeouts in 111 innings. However, he struck out at least five batters seven times. He also pitched at least five innings in 15 of his 21 appearances, so he should be able to pitch deep into this game against an offense that has just 29 hits this season.
Shohei Ohtani Over 6.5 Strikeouts (-101)
Like the White Sox, the Guardians have been strikeout-prone to start the season. Cleveland has struck out 55 times in five games, tied for the second-most in the league. Additionally, they've scored just 17 runs, so the odds of chasing Shohei Ohtani early are very low.
Ohtani didn't pitch more than six innings in a single game last season, but he still managed to strike out at least seven batters in six of his final 11 appearances. Twice, he struck out at least seven batters without pitching five innings. In all, he struck out 62 batters in 47 innings. While Ohtani probably won't pitch more than six innings tonight, the Guardians strike out so much that it won't matter.
Yandy Diaz Over 1.5 Total Bases (+107)
Yandy Diaz is red-hot to start the season. He has multiple hits in three of his four games, and he's yet to go hitless in a single appearance. Yesterday, he went 2-for-4, hitting his first home run of the year. On Sunday, he was 5-for-6 with a double.
While Diaz has mostly done his damage with singles, he can easily hit this over with one swing. Last year, Diaz had 51 extra-base hits, accounting for 29% of his production. While he's only 1-for-5 against Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff, the one hit is a double.
Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.