Best MLB player prop bets for Friday, April 28

Another day, another full slate of MLB action — and plenty of opportunities for juicy player prop bets. With a number of aces on the mound throughout the league, here are three of our favorite plays for Friday, April 28.

MLB player prop bets: Friday, April 28

Jacob deGrom, over 18.5 outs recorded (+125)

Here’s a case where I think deGrom’s injury history has given us some opportunity for profit. The Texas Rangers ace has only cleared this number once this season, against the Kansas City Royals back on April 11, but that stat requires a whole bunch of context. deGrom left his next outing, also against K.C., after four innings with wrist discomfort. It turned out to be strictly a precautionary measure, and the two-time Cy Young winner was back on the mound five days later. The Rangers understandably wanted to be cautious, though, only letting deGrom throw 80 pitches — and he still cruised through six innings against the Oakland Athletics.

Now, with the wrist behind him and the Rangers needing a win with the rival New York Yankees in town, deGrom should get turned loose for 100 pitches or so. Against a New York lineup with the league’s seventh-highest K-rate against right-handed pitching — and which will likely be without Aaron Judge, who left Thursday’s game with hip discomfort — deGrom should coast into the seventh.

Anthony Rendon, over 1.5 total bases (+130)

You’d be forgiven for forgetting about Rendon as he struggled through a couple lost seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. The former All-Star is back healthy now, though, and showing signs of heating up: With two more hits in Thursday’s win over the A’s, Rendon now has a .974 OPS over his last four games.

The Angels will face off against Milwaukee Brewers lefty Wade Miley on Friday night, a pitcher that Rendon has crushed to the tune of a .583/.688/.750 slash line over his career. In hitter-friendly American Family Field, I expect Rendon to come up with at least one extra-base hit.

Marcus Stroman, to record a win (+180)

Stroman is coming off his worst start of the year last weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers — in fact the only start this season in which he’s allowed more than two earned runs — but I smell a bounce-back coming on Friday against the Miami Marlins. Miami’s offense is one of the league’s worst against right-handed pitching, with a team OPS of .663 and the most strikeouts in baseball.

Stroman has gone at least five innings in every one of his outings so far, and has completed six innings in all but one, so with the friendly matchup he should go plenty deep enough to qualify for a decision. And with a Chicago Cubs offense that has crushed lefties this season going up against struggling southpaw Jesus Luzardo (seven runs in just 8.2 innings over his last two starts), the run support will be there as well.