MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions: Sunday (6/16)

So close, yet so far once again. Honestly, these 2-1 days sometimes feel more brutal than an 0-3 showing. Obviously, if there are readers out there following along with these picks, we essentially are building three-leg parlays where all these picks need to hit in order to pay out. So seeing a third leg miss by miniscule outcomes can certainly feel worse than just outright missing everything sometimes.

In Saturday's case, it ended up being Yandy Diaz, who we needed to exceed 1.5 Total Bases. Diaz ended up reaching base twice against the Braves, but unfortunately one of those two instances was a walk, rendering the result as an "under" for the prop line. It is pretty unfortunate considering both of Saturday's other suggested picks ended up hitting (Christopher Morel Under 7.5 Hitter Fantasy Score, CJ Abrams Over 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs). Nevertheless, we carry on and try to redeem ourselves once more on this 16^th of June Sunday slate.

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Sunday’s Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions

Brandon Nimmo Under 0.5 Walks

We'll kick off Sunday with a banger pick (targeting the New York Mets is always a banger pick regardless of outcome), and Brandon Nimmo to not record a walk on Sunday afternoon. Nimmo has underperformed all season to this point, yet this tote is still more about Padres' starter Dylan Cease than it is Nimmo himself.

I cannot get on board with PrizePicks targeting Cease here, a guy that has issued just three total base on balls across his last four starts (24.0 innings pitched). The 28-year-old is also coming off of back-to-back gems and he is now tasked with facing a New York lineup that has, in 2024, been underwhelming to say the least. Across 83.0 total 2024 innings, Cease has posted a 101:23 K:BB ratio and he has largely been in control of his stuff. I do not see him issuing many (if any) free passes in New York on Sunday, a game with a low-posted 7.5 run total.

Yordan Alvarez Over 7.5 Hitter Fantasy Score

The Houston Astros get a prime matchup against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon as they will look to bounce back from a 13-5 thrashing on Saturday. No one will be licking their chops more than Yordan Alvarez, who will receive at-bats against a pitcher that is no longer of high quality in Kenta Maeda.

Maeda has pitched poorly throughout this season, and he currently sports a 5.89 ERA across 44 1/3 innings while his 1.40 WHIP speaks for itself. Maeda already has four different games this season in which he's allowed five or more earned runs.

Yordan Alvarez is hitting as proficiently as ever in year six, and he currently sits top-25 in batting average, home runs, and OPS across the MLB. He is also slashing .370/.434/.848 in June with five homers and 11 total XBHs. Alvarez will look to pounce on Maeda early and often on Sunday, a pitcher he is 2-for-4 against with a double and a walk in limited career faceoffs.

Richie Palacios Under 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs

The Rays will be looking to avoid dropping their eighth game out of their last ten on Sunday, and they will have to do it against the Atlanta Braves- easier said than done. Despite Atlanta trotting some truly no-name pitcher out on Sunday, I am still shocked by some of the props being offered for Tampa Bay's lesser hitters.

1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs is typically a big ask for any star hitter on the board, so when we get down to guys like Richie Palacios, I'm willing to buy in on the under. Palacios is a bottom of the order hitter that is not expected to carry a lineup at any point, and this is emphasized by his struggles in the month of June. The 27-year-old has gone just 4-for-26 (.154) this month with just a pair of doubles and a couple RBIs. His season-long line does not provide much more reassurance. Things will have to fall perfectly for Palacios to exceed this line for the Rays later today.

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