3 Best MLB Strikeout Prop Bets for Wednesday 5/14/25

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 Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-110)

This is a spot where I think you could consider dabbling in Chris Bassitt's alt markets. He's got upside tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays.

We're up to an eight-start sample on Bassitt now in 2025, and the smaller strike zone hasn't hurt him at all. In fact, his swinging-strike rate is 11.0%, topping his previous high for a season by almost a full percentage point. Bassitt was always someone whose strikeout rate was higher than you'd expect when you look at the number of whiffs he generated, so any upward movement there should grab our attention.

In these eight starts, Bassitt has gone over 5.5 strikeouts just four times, which isn't enough to get you to lay -110 on the over. But he had nine-plus twice with seven in another, and five of those eight starts were on the road.

Tonight, Bassitt is at home to face the Rays, a team whose active roster has a 25.5% strikeout rate against righties this year. Thus, although the baseline recommendation here is Bassitt's traditional prop, I'd also give consideration to Bassitt at +188 to get seven-plus strikeouts.

Bryce Elder Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+122)

Bryce Elder is starting to show a lot of faith in his slider, a pitch that could well lead to an increase in his strikeouts.

Throughout last year, Elder threw his slider 31.4% of the time. That number started to increase after his initial demotion to Triple-A, and his underlying numbers were good in the mid-summer stretch he had in the big leagues, even if the results were poor.

As a locked-in starter this year, Elder is throwing the slider 39.7% of the time, and that pitch is generating a 27.7% whiff rate, according to Baseball Savant. He has started to see the fruits of that in his past two starts where he has a combined 14 strikeouts.

His matchup with the Washington Nationals is a poor one as they're skilled at avoiding third strikes. Even after accounting for that, I've got Elder projected at 4.81 strikeouts. Pitchers in that range for my model have gone over 4.5 strikeouts 52.9% of the time, allowing me to take the plus money.

Jameson Taillon Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-130)

This is a pretty lofty number for a pitcher who doesn't get a ton of strikeouts, and it's high enough for me to show value in the under.

Interestingly, Jameson Taillon's strikeouts are actually up this year to 19.3% from 18.5% in 2024. He's throwing fewer sinkers and cutters, typically a good formula for boosting strikeouts; it just seems like the market has overestimated those gains.

The matchup with the Miami Marlins is more good than great. Their strikeout rate is 23.1% against righties, about a percentage point above average. They also don't have drawn-out plate appearances, which should help Taillon be more efficient.

Even after accounting for those things, I have Taillon projected at 4.66 strikeouts, above his average of 4.38 this year. It's just not close to the six he'd need to hit the over, so we'll see if Taillon can make this projection look silly tonight.

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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.