Best MLB Prop Bets Today | MLB Player Props May 1

Jarren Duran Over 0.5 Hits (-250 at DraftKings)

Obviously, Duran isn’t the obvious choice when it comes to prop bets, especially with the way the Red Sox have struggled this year. But he’s been one of Boston’s standout players, batting .396 with nine doubles in just 13 games.

Five of those doubles have come over the past six games, during which he’s hitting .400 with an OPS of 1.120. It’s safe to say that he’s more than making up for not making Boston’s opening-day roster.

Duran will head into Monday’s game against the Blue Jays on a five-game hitting streak. He has 10 total hits and three multi-hit games during that hitting streak, so there is little reason to believe he can’t keep it going. Duran is even 1 for 2 with a double in his career against Toronto starter Jose Berrios. 

While Berrios has looked sharp in his last few starts despite a sluggish start to the season, Duran is still a good bet to get a hit on Monday.

Matt Chapman Over 1.5 Total Bases (-105 at DraftKings)

The only thing you need to know about betting on Chapman on Monday is that he’s 5 for 5 with two doubles and two home runs in his career against Boston starter Corey Kluber. 

That might seem too good to believe or too good to continue, but why not bet on Chapman to continue his dominance over Kluber? Keep in mind that this is not the same Kluber as a few years ago. Despite a couple of decent starts this year, he’s rocking a 6.75 ERA over five starts.

At the same time, Chapman enters the first day of May after having one of the best Aprils of any hitter. He’s currently hitting .384 with an OPS of 1.152. 

Chapman is also raging hot at the moment and is currently on a seven-game hitting streak. He’s had 11 hits during those seven games and is coming off a 3 for 5 games with two doubles on Sunday. Given how hot he is at the moment and his history against Kluber, Chapman seems like the safest bet of any hitter in baseball on Monday.

Mookie Betts Over 0.5 Hits (-220 at DraftKings)

Betts and the Dodgers will face Taijuan Walker on Monday, a matchup that should bode well for the former batting champ. It’s worth mentioning that Betts is 5 for 10 with a double in his career against Walker, so he sees the ball well out of Walker’s hand. 

Plus, Walker is coming off a minor injury scare, so he might not be as sharp as usual. It’s also possible that he’ll struggle and Betts will end up getting multiple at-bats against Philadelphia’s bullpen.

The only caveat here is that Betts hasn’t had a great April, at least by his standards. He heads into Monday’s game only batting .235 with an OPS of .781. 

However, Betts has a hit in three straight games, so he’s starting to warm up. On Sunday, he was 1 for 3 with a double and two walks, indicating that he’s starting to see the ball better and should be considered a safe bet to have a good game against Walker and the Phillies.

Luke Weaver Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-140 at DraftKings), Over 2.5 Earned Runs (-160 at DraftKings)

Weaver has been the king of mixed results early in the season, making him a good option for multiple bets or a same-game parlay. 

He’s made just two starts this season, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits over 11.2 innings. In other words, he’s been hit hard this year. At the same time, Weaver has recorded eight strikeouts in each of his two starts, so he has the kind of stuff that hitters are missing when they're not getting hard contact.

In facing the Padres on Monday, this is the perfect storm for Weaver. 

The San Diego lineup has had a world of trouble early in the early, so they rank in the top third in the majors in strikeouts. At the same time, the Padres scored 22 runs in two games against the Giants in Mexico City over the weekend. 

The Padres could use those games as a jumping-off point to get going offensively and take advantage of Weaver’s vulnerability. In fact, San Diego’s roster is a combined .328 with an OPS of 1.074 against Weaver with 12 strikeouts in 61 at-bats, so there could be a lot of strikeouts and a lot of runs in this game.

Cal Quantrill Under 3.5 Strikeouts (-110 at DraftKings) Over 2.5 Earned Runs (+115 at DraftKings)

Quantrill is another pitcher where you can place bets from multiple angles. For starters, in just one of his five starts this year has Quantrill failed to allow fewer than three runs. 

That makes him a good candidate to allow more than 2.5 runs on Monday against the Yankees. Granted, Quantrill has excellent career numbers against several Yankees, including Aaron Judge. The Yankees have also struggled lately, scoring two runs or less in three straight games and seven of their last 10 games. But Quantrill’s struggles and his 5.40 ERA should supersede that.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland starter has managed just 15 strikeouts across his 25 innings this season. 

He’s never had a high strikeout rate, and that has continued this year. In his five starts in 2023, Quantrill has reached four strikeouts just one time. He’s also recorded more than 15 outs just twice in five starts, giving him fewer chances to rack up strikeouts, making him unlikely to get to the four-strikeout plateau on Monday.

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