We have plenty of action on Monday with 12 games to follow up on an exciting first weekend of baseball. Here are my top three player prop picks to kick off the first full week of the regular season.
(Odds courtesy DraftKings)
J.P. Crawford O/U 0.5 Total Bases
The Seattle Mariners finish up their series with a Minnesota Twins team that will have Dylan Bundy on the mound. Bundy had a miserable 2021 season with the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 2-9 record with a 6.06 ERA. J.P. Crawford is perhaps the Mariner who is most looking forward to facing Bundy on Monday night. In 15 career at-bats versus Bundy, Crawford has hit to a .400 AVG with a couple of extra-base hits. The Mariners’ shortstop is also off to a hot start to the 2022 campaign with a .375 AVG and a .545 OBP in three starts this past weekend.
The price may be a bit steep here, but Crawford is off to a terrific start to the season and has great career numbers against Bundy, who struggled last year. Bank on the young shortstop to reach base at least once in this one.
Bet: J.P. Crawford Over 0.5 Total Bases (-195 at DraftKings)
Adrian Houser O/U 3.5 Strikeouts
The Milwaukee Brewers’ right-hander makes his first start of the 2022 season on Monday afternoon in Baltimore. Houser had an impressive 2021 campaign with a 3.22 ERA – striking out 105 hitters in 142.1 innings pitched. He faces an Orioles team that currently ranks last in all of baseball with a whopping 12.33 strikeouts per game.
Houser is by no means a strikeout pitcher, but he should be able to get deep enough into this game against a lackluster Baltimore offense where he should be able to strike out at least four hitters. I will gladly take the plus-odds as well.
Bet: Adrian Houser Over 3.5 Strikeouts (+125 at DraftKings)
Nick Martinez O/U 3.5 Strikeouts
Nick Martinez gets the ball for the San Diego Padres as the team kicks off a three-game series in San Francisco. Martinez has not stepped on an MLB mound since 2017. Martinez played four seasons with the Texas Rangers from 2014 to 2017. He has a career ERA of 4.77 and was never much of a strikeout pitcher, with 237 career strikeouts in 415.1 innings pitched. Martinez spent the last four seasons in Japan.
It is logical to expect a short leash for Martinez in his first MLB start in five years. He has never been a guy to rack up strikeouts either, and he will be going up against a scrappy team that puts the ball in play in San Francisco. Back Martinez to have less than four K’s at plus odds in his return to the big-league mound.
Bet: Nick Martinez Under 3.5 Strikeouts (+120 at DraftKings)
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