Stunningly, we are already through the 2024 MLB All-Star break. It feels like Opening Day was just yesterday, yet here we sit. It was an awesome All-Star game at that (maybe a bit subjective), with my Boston boy, Jarren Duran, taking home the MVP after clobbering a two-run go-ahead shot in the fifth.
We also closed out the first half of the season with a 3-0 PrizePicks day just about a week ago. All three of Logan Gilbert, Gunnar Henderson, and Jake Burger hit their recommended props, which vaulted us into the break with some momentum. I'm ready to pick up right where we left off, as the second half of the 2024 MLB campaign embarks.
Our PrizePicks Cheat Sheet helps bettors by comparing lines from PrizePicks vs. our daily MLB projections >>
Stunningly, we are already through the 2024 MLB All-Star break. It feels like Opening Day was just yesterday, yet here we sit. It was an awesome All-Star game at that (maybe a bit subjective), with my Boston boy, Jarren Duran, taking home the MVP after clobbering a two-run go-ahead shot in the fifth.
We also closed out the first half of the season with a 3-0 PrizePicks day just about a week ago. All three of Logan Gilbert, Gunnar Henderson, and Jake Burger hit their recommended props, which vaulted us into the break with some momentum. I'm ready to pick up right where we left off, as the second half of the 2024 MLB campaign embarks.
Our PrizePicks Cheat Sheet helps bettors by comparing lines from PrizePicks vs. our daily MLB projections >>
Friday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
Current Overall Record: 47-30-3
I'd be hard-pressed not to revert right back to Gunnar Henderson after he made us look good last week coupled with his first career All-Star (and Home Run Derby) nomination. His hitting had been a bit underwhelming by his standards leading into the break, but the few days’ rest could be exactly what he needed.
Henderson jumped out in Baltimore's first game back on Friday night, as the Orioles lit up the Rangers and Nathan Eovaldi to the tune of nine runs. For his part, Henderson finished 4-for-5 on the night with three runs scored. It brought his overall slash line for the season to a glistening .293/.378/.586.
Baltimore faces Max Scherzer on Saturday, and they fared well against him back at the end of June, compiling a couple of runs on four hits. Henderson finished 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk against Scherzer in his first few career at-bats against the veteran. The 23-year-old sophomore has now eclipsed a 7.0 Hitter Fantasy Score in three of his last four games, and I expect him to make that four of five following Saturday's showing.
Another bet on superstar talent, I am looking for Vladdy Jr. to take over against an inexperienced Detroit starter on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers will be sending Reese Olson to the hill, and he really should not be a problem for Guerrero by any metric. Olson has surprisingly not been terrible as a pitcher, but there are areas he can most certainly be exposed.
The 24-year-old righty is a near lock to give up some runs across any given start, as he has only posted one scoreless outing since the beginning of June. He is also allowing a healthy average of six-plus hits per game, and he is more of a pitch-to-contact pitcher rather than a strikeout guy.
Despite a floundering Toronto baseball team, Guerrero has remained quietly consistent in his sixth major league campaign, highlighted by a .288/.358/.461 season slash line with 15 homers and a top-40 OPS. He is also coming off Friday night's showing in which he finished with a monstrous 445-foot blast. It's the talent I'm betting on for a Saturday afternoon encore performance.
I am jumping on this line just mere minutes after PrizePicks released it, so there is definitely a chance this number has changed or is gone by the time this article releases (which would be a real shame). PrizePicks has this one way wrong, and it is the easiest "under" of the day for me.
Cristopher Sanchez has been a revelation for the Phillies all season long, there is no question there. The only real question that can surround him would be his effectiveness in setting batters down via the strikeout. Despite the impressive ERA, WHIP, and All-Star appearance, Sanchez currently sits near the bottom-third of the MLB in strikeout percentage, coupled with a poor whiff rate due to poor fastball run value.
On the flip side, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been one of the more disciplined teams in their final handful of games before the All-Star break, averaging just over seven team strikeouts per game. In three career appearances against Pittsburgh, Sanchez has compiled just 11 total punchouts, good for an average of just under 4.0 per game, and closer to where this line should really be for Saturday.
