MLB Player Props 10/2
The MLB playoffs have officially started and we couldn’t be happier. The first set of games occurred yesterday with the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres taking game one of the Wild Card round. Those teams look to go for the 2-0 sweep today, while their opponents look to avoid elimination.
Player props are harder to navigate in the postseason. Some hitters can get hot, while others can get cold. Then there are pitchers who have the shortest leashes due to the severity of the postseason. Despite the difficulty, I want to take the challenge head-on and find the best player props for today. Without further ado, here are the best three props for the game two slate.
Adley Rutschman Under 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-135)
Adley Rutschman is one of the best catchers in baseball even at his young age. However, this season was not his best, especially over the last few months. In the first half of the season, Adley was batting .276 with an OPS of .780. Then the second half happened and it all went downhill. He batted .207 with an OPS of .585. He became a below-league-average hitter for an entire half of the season and it is continuing.
Over the past 30 days, Adley is batting .213 with an OPS of .578. He is not seeing the ball well and that has been the case for a few months now. Furthermore, he tends to struggle at home. Adley for the entire season only batted .225 and had 26 RBIs.
He has not shown it in the postseason as well. In his first postseason last year, Adley had only 1 hit in 12 at-bats. His struggles of this season mixed in with his postseason struggles is a recipe for disaster. His name alone will bring the line to 1.5, but that might be too generous with his play. Take the under and don’t look back.
Sean Manaea 4+ Hits Allowed (-165)
In the last article I wrote, I wanted to ride the hot hand of Sean Manaea. He was on a tear with his strikeouts and I thought he had a favorable matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers. Instead of Manaea staying hot, he got pummeled by the Brewers for 7 hits, 5 earned runs, and 1 strikeout. Fast-forward to less than a week later and he has to face this same Brewers team in Milwaukee again. This screams for us to fade him in this spot.
The Brewers and Mets were the one game that soared past the over. The same occurred for the game Manaea pitched in last week. I think these two teams simply know how to hit off the other’s pitching. The Mets could have him on a short leash, but for the possibility of him pitching decent in the strikeouts department, I wanted to bet on his hits allowed at a smaller number.
I think 4+ hits allowed is a steal for someone who doesn’t have the best playoff track record. In 3 postseason appearances. Manaea has allowed 4+ hits in each of them. With his postseason history mixed in with his recent outing against the Brewers, I believe fading him in any capacity is a must-play.
Max Fried 5+ Hits Allowed (-155)
Max Fried was a solid contributor in the Atlanta Braves run to the World Series in 2021 where they won it all. Now Fried looks to keep the Braves’ hopes alive tonight against the San Diego Padres. Fried has all the tools, but I truly do not like his matchup tonight.
The Padres have been soaring as of late and they have all the momentum heading into game two. They are well-oiled hitting machines, as they led the MLB in AVG for the entire season. However, when you see their AVG against left-handed pitchers, you might be scared off. Do not be wary of those numbers. They played Fried once before and rocked him for 9 hits in 4.1 innings.
Fried has not been as good as he was in 2021. In his last two postseason starts alone, he has allowed a combined 14 hits. His stuff just diminishes in the playoffs now and the Padres should be able to capitalize on that. We are going to go with the safe route and betting the 5+ rather than over 5.5 hits allowed. I think the Padres’ bats stay hot and put an end to the Braves’ season.
Noel is from Philadelphia, PA. He went to West Chester University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications in Media & Culture.
