World Series Player Props: Best Bets for Most HRs, MVP & More for Phillies vs. Astros

The 2022 World Series starts Friday evening in Houston when the Astros host the Phillies at Minute Maid Park. The Astros, who have yet to lose a game this postseason, are favored to win the seven-game series at -185 odds, with the Phils at +160, according to DraftKings.

The series price is one way to bet the Fall Classic, and game-by-game bets on the moneyline are another way. But you can also find prop bets for the series from DraftKings, among other sports betting apps.

Unlike bets on props for individual games (how many RBIs Bryce Harper will have in Game 1, for example), with series prop bets, you wager on what will happen throughout the series. When you bet on these props, you add a layer of excitement to watching the 4-7 games of the World Series unfold.

HRs, Hits, MVP Among World Series Player Props

When betting props for a postseason series, be careful to select a player who will get opportunities. You also want to identify a player with odds that make a bet pay out well should your wager hit.

Here are DraftKings odds on these popular World Series props for batters:

Most Home Runs

• Yordan Alvarez +360 (hit 20 HR at Minute Maid Park)
• Kyle Schwarber +400 (led all players with 46 HR in regular season)
• Bryce Harper +600
• Kyle Tucker +900 (his 13 HR against LH pitchers was the most by a LH batter in 2022)
• Rhys Hoskins +900
• Jose Altuve +1100 (has 23 homers in 86 PS games)
• Alex Bregman +1300
• Jeremy Pena +1500
• J.T. Realmuto +1500

We like +1300 and Bregman. The Houston third baseman is one of the smartest hitters in the game. He will choke up on the bat and make adjustments (imagine that!), and he’s batting .333 with a pair of homers in the postseason. Odds of 13-to-1 are enticing.

Most Hits

• Jose Altuve +450
• Yordan Alvarez +550
• Jeremy Pena +700
• Kyle Tucker +750
• Alex Bregman +750
• Yuli Gurriel +900
• Bryce Harper +1000
• J.T. Realmuto +1100
• Alec Bohm +1100

We also like Schwarber at +2500 for most hits. As the leadoff batter for Philly, Schwarber will get more chances than anyone in the lineup to get his knocks. But no one makes better contact on pitches anywhere near the plate than former batting champ Gurriel. His 11 hits lead all AL players this postseason.

World Series MVP Prop Bets

You can’t blame DraftKings for listing Bryce Harper (+650) and Yordan Alvarez (also +650) as the favorites to cop the World Series MVP Award.

But while Harper and Alvarez are the obvious choices, they aren’t the best bets.

Our Pick for MVP

Last fall, Jorge Soler was named World Series MVP after hitting three go-ahead home runs in the Series for the Braves. Soler was not among the favorites to win the award, he wasn’t even on the Braves until mid-season. Often, the WS MVP is a player you wouldn’t expect.

That’s one of the reasons we like Cristian Javier as the MVP at odds of +3000 on the DraftKings sports betting app. Javier has pitched in fewer than 100 games in the big leagues, but he’s allowing fewer than six hits per nine innings while striking out 11.2 per. He manhandled the Yanks in the ALCS. He threw a no-hitter last summer. He has an electric fastball that “jumps” at hitters, who are flummoxed when the pitch isn’t where they think it will be.

What would Javier have to do to be named MVP? How about a hitless or near-hitless start or two with double-digit strikeouts?

By the way, the official name of this honor is the “Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player,” in honor of the greatest living baseball player. Many people believe Mays is the best player to ever step onto a ballfield. In 1954, playing for the New York Giants, Mays sprinted to deep center field at the Polo Grounds and caught a fly ball over his head running away from the infield. The play is considered by many to be the greatest catch in World Series history. The amazing thing is that Mays probably made 50 catches better than that one in his illustrious career.

Number of Players to Record 1+ Home Run

Here’s a fun prop bet for the entire series that pays out based on the total number of players to hit a home run on both teams combined.

• Under 8.5 … +110
• Over 8.5 … -135
• Under 10.5 … -450
• Over 10.5 … +350

The OVER 10.5 at +350 from DraftKings is a nice bet, because in five of the last six World Series, HR hitters have exceeded 10.5 (see list below):

• 2021 … 6
• 2020 … 13
• 2019 … 14
• 2018 … 12
• 2017 … 14
• 2016 … 11
• 2015 … 5
• 2014 … 5
• 2013 … 4
• 2012 … 5
• 2011 … 10
• 2010 … 9
• 2009 … 10
• 2008 … 9
• 2007 … 6

The average number of home run hitters has been 8.9 in the last 15 World Series.

Also read: World Series Odds, Game 1 Line