It’s Taco Thursday? If you’re unfamiliar with PrizePicks, they typically give out discounted player projections on Tuesdays, but we’ve got three different ones for today. I’ll dive into a couple worth considering in today’s article.
Here are the best MLB PrizePicks plays for Thursday, April 26.
Thursday's Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
PrizePicks record: 6-5-1
It’s Taco Thursday? If you’re unfamiliar with PrizePicks, they typically give out discounted player projections on Tuesdays, but we’ve got three different ones for today. I’ll dive into a couple worth considering in today’s article.
Here are the best MLB PrizePicks plays for Thursday, April 26.
Thursday's Best MLB PrizePicks Player Predictions
PrizePicks record: 6-5-1
This is my favorite strikeout Taco of the night. Gerrit Cole has been pitching lights out for the Yankees to start the season. He has allowed just three runs in his five starts, has thrown 34 innings and ranks in the top 83% in xERA/xwOBA and top 79% in K%. He has a strikeout log of 11, 8, 3, 10, 4.
His two misses were against two of the more K-averse teams: The Guardians, who are dead last in K% vs. RHP, and the Blue Jays, who have seen the ball well from Cole.
The Rangers do technically rank in the bottom half in terms of punchouts, but Cole has this roster’s number. Texas has a 35.4% K% in 93 plate appearances against him. In two starts vs. them last season, Cole had nine and 10 punchouts. If you look into the righties to face them, you’ll notice that there are hardly any aces in there. They get one tonight in Arlington, and he’s about to shove. His regular line of over 7.5 strikeouts is also fine to me.
It’s a tall ask for any pitcher to rack up eight strikeouts, but we all know Shohei Ohtani isn’t an ordinary pitcher or player, for that matter. He’s in the top 91% xERA/xwOBA, top 95% K%, and top 93% in Whiff%. He has a strikeout log of 10, 8, 6, 3, and 11. The three K start was shortened due to rain in Boston.
In his first start of the season, Shohei amassed 10 punchouts against the A’s, and I’d expect more of the same from him today pitching at home. The Athletics have the ninth-highest strikeout rate (24.8%) and eighth-worst wRC+ (85) against right-handed pitching, and their roster has a 32.2% K% and .212 xwOBA in 52 plate appearances against him.
Shane McClanahan is one of the best starters in the game right now and just shut down the White Sox lineup last start. He finished with an incredible 48.9% CSW% that start, leading to 10 strikeouts in six innings pitched. Chicago has the eighth-highest K% (24.5%) and eighth-lowest wRC+ (85) when facing Southpaws this year. Shane also had eight strikeouts against the Sox last season, and their roster owns a 42.2% K% and .231 xwOBA in 42 plate appearances against him.
Check out the other best bets for Thursday:
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Tyler Gentile is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Tyler, follow him @808Paperboi.
