Going Yard: Inside Baseball's Hottest Betting Market at FanDuel
Home runs have always been baseball’s most electric moment but, on FanDuel, they’ve been made even more exciting.
In 2025, “To Hit a Home Run” wagers were the most popular MLB bet type by volume on FanDuel Sportsbook.
When home run bets proved to be a fan favorite, FanDuel stepped up to the plate. The team responded by building new app features and ramping up rewards to make FanDuel the go-to destination for long ball betting.
“When our customers think about FanDuel this baseball season, we want them to immediately associate FanDuel with home runs—not just because we say so, but because we consistently provide the best home run betting experience,” said Matthew Heffley, Commercial Category Senior Manager at FanDuel.
The Rise of the Home Run Bet
Whether it was the torpedo bat controversy, catcher Cal Raleigh's record-breaking 60 HRs, or the ongoing “Who’s a better hitter, Judge or Ohtani?” debate, it was a historic year for the long ball.
Home run betting handle on FanDuel jumped 37% between the 2024 and 2025 season.
The biggest names drew the most action. Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Cal Raleigh, and Kyle Schwarber were the five most popular players for home run wagers in 2025—and four of them smashed over 50 homers (Soto reached 43).
But it wasn't just the superstars going deep. Ninety-four players hit 20 or more home runs last regular season, creating a deeper betting market and more opportunities for value wagers on less-heralded sluggers.
FanDuel took note and began building features to match that enthusiasm.
FanDuel's Response
FanDuel set out to make betting on home runs easier, smarter, and more engaging than ever before.
For 2026, the platform rolled out in-line performance data and player game logs that integrate recent stats directly into the app.
Product Director Ritchie Thomson has been with FanDuel since 2015 and has seen many phases of the sportsbook. He explained that this season brought a keen focus on the prop betting experience.
"We've been adding more stats to our player pages to allow people to do research without having to leave the FanDuel app," said Thomson. "We've been seeing more engagement with those features, so we're doubling down for 2026."
FanDuel Sportsbook now also has star player grids to let bettors browse and bet on player props across multiple games in one place—and the timing couldn't be better.
The 2025 season made MLB history when three different players hit four home runs in a single game, respectively. These explosive performances inspired FanDuel to create multiple home run grids, which displays players most likely to go deep multiple times in a single game.
“Customers can see all the different home run markets—to hit one home run, 2 home runs, 3 home runs—that's all in one view now," said Thomson. "If they want to build out an SGP, it's easy and quick to do."
From Dinger Tuesday to Daily Dinger
FanDuel's commitment to home run betting extends beyond in-app features to promotion and rewards.
Dinger Tuesday launched several years ago as a weekly promotion, providing FanDuel users varying offers tied to home run bets every Tuesday.
Nearly half of FanDuel's MLB customers engaged with Dinger Tuesday in 2025.
Dinger Tuesday is back for 2026, and its success has sparked a new spin-off: Daily Dinger. This free-to-play game lets users pick one MLB player they think will hit a home run that day. If their player goes deep, they get a Profit Boost Token the next day to use on any MLB wager.
“By having a free-to-play option with real Sportsbook prizes every day, we’re showing our customers how much we care about rewarding them while also reminding them of the great MLB betting experience we provide overall,” said Matthew Heffley.
The offer creates both a low-stakes entry point for newcomers and daily engagement for frequent bettors to build confidence in their prop betting strategy.
The FanDuel Approach
FanDuel's dominance in home run betting is a blueprint for product innovation driven by customer preferences. By listening to bettors, building the right tools, and doubling down on what works, FanDuel is a leader in one of sports betting's fastest-growing markets.
You can also visit FanDuel Research for daily home run picks and player analysis from our experts.
Featured image credit: Unsplash
