MLB Player Props: Best Picks & Home Run Bets for Monday, April 8

We have another full day of baseball ahead of us, which means now is as good a time as ever to look at the best MLB player props for today, Monday, April 8.

There are 13 games on the schedule tonight, giving bettors plenty of opportunities to place an MLB wager. Each game has hundreds of player prop markets available, which can make it challenging to find a winner. That is why we have done all the hard work for you and have come up with our three favorite props, including the best MLB home run pick. 

Let’s take a look at our three best MLB player props for tonight’s action.

Read More: 2024 World Series Odds | MLB Odds | MLB Win Totals

MLB Player Props: April 8, 2024

Zac Gallen Over Strikeouts

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 4-6 to start the season. While the offense ranks toward the top in most categories, the pitching staff ranks in the middle of the pack, and the bullpen enters tonight with a 3.90 ERA.

Luckily, they will have their ace on the mound in Zac Gallen to take on a horrible Colorado lineup. The Rockies come in with a team wRC+ of 81, and they rank 24th in K%. Gallen has a 0.82 ERA and nine strikeouts in 11 IP through two starts.

Although his walk rate has gone up drastically, and he is not getting as many whiffs, Gallen has not let up a ton of hard contact. His xERA and xFIP are troubling, but this Colorado lineup is not the one to expose potential regression, even at a hitter-friendly park like Coors Field.

In 14 career appearances against the Rockies, Gallen has exceeded this strikeout prop 11 times and is averaging just under six innings pitched per game. Last season, Gallen struck out at least six batters in 18 of 24 starts that he pitched at least six innings.

Regression is on the horizon, but if he continues to limit barrels and hard contact, he should stay in the game long enough to exceed this number.

Marcell Ozuna Over RBI

The Braves lineup has been red hot to start the season, and that is especially true for Marcell Ozuna. Through eight games, Ozuna has a slash of .314/.333/.714 with a 178 wRC+ and 1.048 OPS. He also has a .400 ISO, translating to four home runs and seven RBI.

Although his barrel and hard-hit rates are slightly down, he sees the ball well and makes great contact. Tonight, he has a favorable matchup with former Brave Julio Teheran, who is getting the start for the Mets.

Teheran is making his first start of the season and is coming off one of his worst years as a professional in 2023. He struggled with hard contact, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is concerning for his long-term projections.

Atlanta is crushing the ball and should be in plenty of run-scoring situations. Ozuna has been batting fifth in the lineup behind Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, and Matt Olson. Outside of Acuna, all those guys have a wRC+ higher than 117.

For his career, Ozuna has three home runs and is batting .353 against Teheran. If the rest of the lineup can stay hot, Ozuna will have plenty of chances with runners in scoring position to knock in a run. If not, Ozuna is swinging a hot enough bat to get guys home from first or even hit another ball over the fence.

MLB Futures: MLB MVP Odds | Cy Young Odds | ROY Odds | Reliever of the Year Odds | Manager of the Year Odds

MLB Player Props: Best Anytime Home Run Pick

Bryce Harper ()

Bryce Harper has three home runs on the season, all in the same game. Although he only has two barrels, he is still crushing the ball and is in an excellent spot to cash an anytime home run prop bet tonight against the Cardinals and Miles Mikolas.

His early strikeout numbers are not great, but Harper has proven time and time again that he is one of the best power hitters in the league. He ranks in the top 74% of the league in Hard-Hit%, xSLG, and xwOBA, and Harper is in the 95th percentile in Sweet-Spot%.

Harper’s launch angle is also up, and his expected stats show some positive regression incoming. Tonight, we may see another big performance from the two-time MVP. The Cardinals will send Mikolas out for his third start, hoping for drastic improvement.

Through 10.1 IP, Mikolas has a 6.10 ERA and is giving up a career-high in HR/9 (1.74) and hard-hit rate (41.2%). Lefty-lefty matchups always scare me when picking a home run bet, but Harper has crushed left-handed pitching throughout his career, and his numbers have gone up in recent years.

This season, Harper is slashing .313/.353/.625 with a .978 OPS and a .313 ISO against southpaws. Even if he does not get one off Mikolas, the Cardinals’ bullpen has been average, and Harper has routinely teed off on average arms. 

MLB Betting Promos

Bettors should be aware of each available online sportsbook if they live in a legal betting state. This will allow them to get the best odds and lines for their MLB player props and open them up to potentially hundreds of dollars in betting promos. 

Below, we have included the best MLB betting bonuses from Gaming Today’s top-ranked sports betting apps.