3 Best MLB Strikeout Prop Bet Picks for Thursday 5/8/25

Within a given MLB slate, there are tons of strikeout props to sort through as there are lines posted for most of the day's starting pitchers.

Across today's action, which seem to present the best value in FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB betting odds?

We're going to dig into that today, laying out my favorite strikeout props across all the action. You can also do some research of your own by digging into our MLB player prop projections.

Please note lines and MLB projections are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

Today's Best MLB K Prop Picks

Chris Bassitt to Record 7-Plus Strikeouts (+154)

An alt-market over hit for us against the Los Angeles Angels last night, so we're going back to the well today.

This time, we're going even a bit more ambitious because of how sick Chris Bassitt has looked this year. Bassitt is letting his offspeed stuff feature a bit more, a quality choice given both his curve and sweeper have whiff rates of at least 34%, according to Baseball Savant.

Bassitt responded by throwing his curve 23.5% of the time in his most recent start, his highest usage since September of 2022. This shift has pushed Bassitt's swinging-strike rate to 11.0%, up from 8.7% last year. For a guy who gets a lot of called strikes due to the movement on his fastballs, that's big.

When you put this new repertoire in a high-strikeout matchup, I'm willing to buy into Bassitt's hot start and bet him to get seven-plus strikeouts for the fourth time in eight starts.

Jesus Luzardo to Record 7-Plus Strikeouts (+138)

Most of the logic on Bassitt applies directly to Jesus Luzardo, as well.

Sometimes, a change of scenery can be all a pitcher needs. I'm more inclined to believe that when it's someone with Luzardo's talent, and his early returns with the Philadelphia Phillies have been superb.

Luzardo has added a sweeper this year, a pitch with higher velocity and more horizontal break than his old slider. He has gotten a 46.3% whiff rate against that pitch, according to Baseball Savant, all while throwing it at a healthy rate. It doesn't hurt that the velocity on his four-seamer and sinker are also up.

This has all resulted in a 14.3% swinging-strike rate and 27.6% strikeout rate. We saw Luzardo do this for a full season back in 2023, so I don't think it's outlandish to think he can maintain these gains. He gets a Tampa Bay Rays lineup that platoons heavily but will still have some lefties in it, so I expect that sweeper to go to work tonight.

Brandon Pfaadt Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+124)

Even though Brandon Pfaadt's strikeout rate this year is just 20.7%, I'm expecting that number to rise, which puts the over in play despite a tough matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For Pfaadt, I think it's wise to expand the sample and look at the 17 starts in which he has thrown more changeups. His strikeout rate in that span is 25.9% thanks to some electric outings last year. One of those was a 10-strikeout game at home against the Dodgers on September 1st, which is the last time they saw him.

Although the Dodgers are lethal, they will strike out. Their active roster has a 23.9% strikeout rate against righties this year. As a result of that plus expected gains for Pfaadt, my model has him projected to go over this mark at a better than 50% clip, allowing me to take the plus money.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.