MLB Player Props (May 13): Bet on These 2 Hot Hitters
Grant White
Host · Writer
We’re back after another thrilling weekend of baseball action, looking to start the week with a bang. We’re running through the SportsGrid MLB Player Props, identifying the pre-eminent plus-money wagers that yield a long-term advantage for bettors.
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Kyle Tucker – To Record an RBI (+150)
Winners of three of their past four, the Houston Astros aim to continue their revival when they host the Oakland Athletics on Monday night. Kyle Tucker has been an offensive catalyst over the Astros’ recent stretch, and there’s nothing Ross Stripling or the A’s bullpen can do to slow him down.
Coming into tonight’s intra-divisional showdown, Tucker has hits in five of his previous six. More impressively, all five knocks over that stretch have been homers. Naturally, that’s yielded seven RBI across the same six-game sample, boosting Tucker’s slugging percentage in May up to .709. Still, his season-long benchmark of .590 remains just shy of his expected .599, implying further progression is anticipated.
Stripling has been serving them up for opposing batters all season. The journeyman righty has a 1-6 record, with a 5.14 ERA and some of the worst strikeout metrics in the bigs. His 19.9% whiff rate and 15.3% strikeout rate put Stripling in the 16th and 10th percentile, respectively.
Stripling is pitching to contact, and it’s not working. With Tucker swinging a hot bad, the A’s starter will be no match for what the Astros offer. The over on most of Tucker’s props is appealing, but we’re taking him to drive in a run on Monday night.
Jonny DeLuca – To Record an RBI (+185)
Finally, after weeks of struggling without many of their starters, the Tampa Bay Rays offense is starting to show signs of life. Included in that resurgence is Jonny DeLuca, the prized offseason acquisition in the Tyler Glasnow trade. The young outfielder fits in well with his new squad, and his stats already reflect his solid analytics profile.
Through nine games, DeLuca is raking. The former 25th-round pick has an All-Star-worthy .930 OPS, driving in ten and coming around to score four more. Further, his underlying metrics validate sustained success. Although he’s not qualified yet, DeLuca is delivering a 40.0% sweet spot rating, which would be good enough to put him among the top 15% of hitters. With his keen eye at the plate, DeLuca sprays the ball to all fields and produces runs.
With the recent return of Josh Lowe and the revival of Randy Arozarena, the Rays are starting to get more batters to base. Consequently, they are up to 5.8 runs per game over the past week, driving their regular season average to 4.1. DeLuca has been integral to that success and should maintain his current form in the series opener versus the Boston Red Sox.
We’re taking advantage of the prosperous betting price and backing DeLuca to record an RBI against the Red Sox.
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