MLB Best Bets Today: MLB Player Props for Friday, May 1

May is here and Mike Barner has you covered with his best MLB Player Props from today's slate including a play on the surging Mike Trout
MLB Best Bets Today: MLB Player Props for Friday, May 1

Top MLB Prop Bets for May 1: Expert Picks & Insights

All 30 teams are scheduled to be in action Friday. The Yankees host the Orioles in one of the more exciting matchups. The Nationals' hot-hitting lineup will also be tested against Jacob Misiorowski when they host the Brewers. Let's focus our attention on player props and highlight three of the top wagers to consider.

Mike Barner's season record: 17-12-1 (+2.63 units)

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Best MLB Prop Bets May 1

Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Mets Betting Picks

  • Mike Trout over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-120) at DraftKings for 1 Unit

Health is always the key with Trout. So far so good out of the gate, and that has resulted in him already hitting 10 home runs. He had a 32.0% strikeout rate last season, significantly higher than his career mark of 23.0%. He has that back down to 20.8% this year. Also encouraging is his 25.3% barrel rate and 51.9% hard-hit rate.

Trout will look to stay hot in a matchup against the struggling Mets, who have a team WHIP of 1.30. Starting for them will be Christian Scott, who walked five batters over just 1.1 innings during his only start in the majors this year. In 2024 he gave up eight home runs over just 47.1 innings. The stars could be aligning for another big performance at the plate from Trout.

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Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies Betting Picks

  • Matt Olson over 1.5 total bases (-139) at DraftKings for 1 Unit

Olson continues to churn out valuable stat lines. Entering this season, he had a career .365 wOBA and .253 ISO. He has been even better in both departments through 32 games, posting a .419 wOBA and a .320 ISO. For a player with as much power as he has, his career 23.8% strikeout rate is also impressive. His current 18.3% barrel rate is also on pace to be the highest mark of his career.

As if a game at Coors Field wasn't appealing enough, this is a great matchup for Olson against Jose Quintana. Quintana is not an overpowering force, failing to record a strikeout rate of at least 20% since 2022. He also walks a lot of batters, which has prevented him from lasting more than 5.1 innings in any of his four starts. Behind him is a bullpen that has already given up 19 home runs. Although Olson doesn't have the platoon advantage here, left-handed hitters have already hit two home runs off Quintana this year. Olson has a great opportunity to record at least two total bases.

Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees Betting Picks

  • Cade Povich over 2.5 earned runs allowed (-123) at FanDuel for 1 Unit

Povich is expected to be called up from Triple-A to make this start. He previously made two appearances for the Orioles in April, allowing just three runs over 12.1 innings. However, he has generally struggled to make an impact in the majors. Over 204.1 career innings, he has a 4.76 xERA and a 1.44 WHIP.

Povich will have his hands full with the Yankees, who rank inside the top 10 in baseball in runs scored and OPS. Their 48 home runs lead the majors and they have a .788 OPS at home. Many of their top hitters are left-handed, but Ben Rice has a 1.266 OPS versus southpaws this year and Cody Bellinger had a 1.016 OPS against them last season. Look for the Yankees to jump on Povich early.

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MLB Prop Picks Recap

  • Mike Trout over 1.5 hits + runs + RBI (-120) at DraftKings for 1 Unit
  • Matt Olson over 1.5 total bases (-139) at DraftKings for 1 Unit
  • Cade Povich over 2.5 earned runs allowed (-123) at FanDuel for 1 Unit

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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