As we creep nearer to the 2025 Main League Baseball season, one of many issues we might love to do right here is spotlight some props.
Extra particularly, that might be discussing a few of my favourite playing performs for the season within the props part, which might be for particular person gamers and their stats. If you happen to aren’t into playing, that is cool, too, as a result of we’re mainly simply discussing who could be first rate picks to guide the league in a stat.
Let’s dive proper in and make eight picks on main stats.
Wheeler and Tigers ace Tarik Skubal are tied for the favorites right here at +1000. There are occasions I do not like taking favorites. First off, it looks as if a copout or simply plain boring, however secondly generally it simply does not make sense from an odds standpoint. With the chances being 100 to 1, although, I’ve zero concern taking the favourite. I imply, are we making an attempt to win or not?
Wheeler is dependable, a workhorse by 2025 requirements and performs for a crew that’ll win loads of video games. He gained 16 final yr — solely two away from the MLB lead — regardless of not getting run assist regularly. In eight of his 32 begins, the Phillies scored two or fewer runs. In eight others, they scored simply three runs. That is half of Wheeler’s begins. For the sake of comparability, his teammate Aaron Nola solely obtained three runs or much less in assist and if we went to 2 or much less, it was solely 5 instances.
I am going to say Wheeler leads the majors with 20 wins this yr.
Strikeout chief: Cole Ragans (+2500)
The chalk decide right here is Paul Skenes at +400 and that is an inexpensive play. I am nonetheless unsure how a lot the Pirates will let him go together with workload. I am going to notably zero in on the opportunity of them falling out of the race after which simply shutting him down.
In the meantime, Ragans is listed fifth in odds, tied with Jacob deGrom (who certainly is not going to come back shut resulting from workload). Ragans was solely 5 off the lead final season with 223 strikeouts and labored greater than 185 innings. A pure development in workload says he’ll be round 200 innings, which implies he may strategy 250 strikeouts.
That is my single favourite prop this season.
Emmanuel Clase (+700) and Ryan Helsley (+750) had been the highest two final season. Helsley truly led with 49. The favourite is Edwin Díaz at +650. Iglesias solely had 34 final season, which equaled his profession excessive (he is carried out it thrice). He solely had 33 saves in 2023 when the Braves gained 104 video games.
What provides?
I assume it is a whole lot of intestine feeling right here. The substance I’ve obtained is Iglesias stays nice and has no competitors by any means for saves in that Braves bullpen. I’ve them successful the NL East this season, so there needs to be loads of possibilities. Will he find yourself within the mid-30s once more whereas pitchers on groups with much less high-powered offenses rack up much more? Perhaps. His title was simply calling out to me after I noticed the chances. There’s clearly an opportunity I am going to miss. That is why it is known as playing.
Alonso solely had 88 RBI final season, however he led the majors with 131 in 2022 and in addition drove dwelling 120 runs in his rookie season, 2019. He is now hitting behind Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, each of whom I count on to be everywhere in the bases this season. There’s safety behind Alonso within the batting order with gamers like Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos, too. Principally, I count on Alonso to see a ton of excellent pitches this season with site visitors on the bases. Deliver on these RBI.
Dwelling run chief: Matt Olson (+3000)
I did not head into this one considering Olson could be my play. If there weren’t odds hooked up, I do not assume he’d be my decide. Aaron Decide (+360) and Shohei Ohtani (+650) are the most effective picks and clearly present up as favorites. Kyle Schwarber at +1200 is affordable, too, however Olson is the tenth title listed. He simply led the majors in 2023 with 54 homers. He does not miss video games, both, as he is performed in 162 video games every of the final three seasons. He had a down yr in 2024, however he is each bit highly effective sufficient to bounce again and lead once more.
Bonus: SportsLine professional Angelo Magliocca is taking a good larger swing on a longshot to guide the league in dwelling runs in SportsLine’s MLB Futures Betting Information. Take a look at all of the greatest bets from SportsLine’s employees of MLB specialists for the 2025 MLB season.
Hits chief: Bobby Witt Jr. (+550)
Witt is definitely the favourite right here, however the plus-550 is not a foul price ticket in any respect. He led the majors with 211 hits final season and he is an on a regular basis participant within the second spot in his crew’s batting order. He additionally does not stroll a ton. The end result final yr was a .332 batting common and 211 hits in 636 at-bats. He was solely 24 years previous. I am going to journey with the favourite right here.
It has been some time, however Bregman has led the majors in doubles earlier than. He did so in 2018 when he had 51. He is not almost nearly as good a hitter now, however the transfer to Fenway Park has piqued my curiosity to the purpose that I am going with him right here. He’s a lifeless pull hitter who has grown accustomed to play in Houston with the Crawford Containers’ quick porch in left discipline. There is a quick porch in Fenway to left, too, however the Inexperienced Monster means a few of these homers from previous years flip into doubles. For instance, xHR estimates what number of dwelling runs a participant would have hit if all of his video games had been performed in every ballpark. Final yr confirmed 31 in Houston however solely 23 in Boston. These misses would’ve hit off the Monster.
Clearly, Bregman wants to remain wholesome and have season — and solely half the video games are performed at dwelling, as an alternative of all of them within the xHR simulation — however I just like the quantity right here.
To guide in stolen bases, the chalk decide is Elly De La Cruz. I feel he leads the majors once more — so he is my decide if you need one — however the price ticket of -120 is not price it for me on the possibility that he both will get harm or loses out to another person. Thankfully, we will seize numbers like 30+ or 40+ and I actually like this spot with these odds.
PCA might want to present he can get on base. He hasn’t carried out it but by two video games, having gone 0 for 7. Final yr, he solely had a .286 on-base proportion in 410 plate appearances. And he nonetheless stole 27 bases in 30 tries. It is attainable he turned a nook down the stretch final season. In his final 57 video games, he hit .289/.336/.469. If he is capable of hit like that, he’ll be an on a regular basis starter all yr and if that is the case, I am unable to see him falling wanting 40 steals.
