3 MLB Player Prop Bets to Target on Friday 10/20/23

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Utilizing numberFire's projections as a guide, here are some MLB player props bets that look appealing via the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Please note that betting lines and numberFire's projections may change throughout the day after this article is published. Also, the weather may be an issue in some locations.

MLB Prop Bets to Target

Chas McCormick To Record 2+ Bases (+160)

After digging out of an 0-2 hole, the Houston Astros have clawed their way back into the ALCS and will look to take the series lead tonight against the Texas Rangers.

Jordan Montgomery is on the mound for Texas, and though he's been solid all season, Montgomery's left-handedness could mean good things for some of the Houston bats.

Enter Chas McCormick, who absolutely slugs against lefties.

This season, he posted a .325 batting average, .610 SLG, 177 wRC+, 43.0% fly-ball rate, and 24.3% HR/FB ratio against southpaws.

Since the All-Star break, these numbers have managed to increase -- .365 batting average, .676 SLG, 209 wRC+, 31.8% HR/FB ratio.

McCormick seems to take a liking to Globe Life Field, too. In the regular season, he went 11 for 23 at the stadium, including three doubles and two home runs.

Despite the fact that McCormick went yard last night (against a lefty, of course), there doesn't seem to be much recency bias in his odds.

I like him at plus odds to get two bases, but McCormick To Hit A Home Run at +520 looks interesting, as well. Montgomery throws his fastball 53.3% of the time (ninth-most in MLB), while McCormick is among the best hitters in the league off the fastball, boasting a 2.09 fastball runs above average per 100 pitches (sixth-best).

Nick Castellanos To Hit A Home Run (+600)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are lookin to tie the NLCS with a win against the Philadelphia Phillies, but they will have to do so without a true starting pitcher on the bump.

Lefty relief pitcher Joe Mantiply will start things off for the D'Backs in what figures to be a bullpen game for Arizona.

Mantiply is great against left-handed batters (allows a mere .185 batting average) and will likely serve as a means to get past the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, who are mind-bogglingly good against righties but come back to earth against lefties.

If I'm the Phils, I'm slipping Nick Castellanos back toward to top half of the lineup tonight to ensure he gets an at-bat against Mantiply.

Castellanos is unreal against left-handers -- he posts a .324 batting average, .561 SLG, 148 wRC+, 40.3% fly-ball rate, 15.4% HR/FB ratio, and 37.2% hard-hit rate in the split.

He's been the story of the playoffs so far, going 10 for 32 and knocking in two doubles and five home runs -- yet almost all his batting props sit at plus odds for tonight.

I think Castellanos will see a good look against Mantiply, who gives up a .542 SLG and 1.71 HR/9 to righties, and he could also get some action against two of the lefties in Arizona's bullpen, Kyle Nelson and Andrew Saalfrank.

numberFire gives Philadelphia the highest projected run total tonight (4.34), and it's rare that Castellanos isn't in on the offensive fun. I'd also check out Castellanos To Record A Run at +115, Castellanos To Record an RBI at +140, or Castellanos To Record a Hit at -195 -- he's just too undervalued across the prop markets today.

Cristopher Sanchez Over 3.5 Strikeouts (+142)

Cristopher Sanchez, a guy who hasn't seen the mound this October, is starting for the Phillies, and I have him punching out four-plus batters tonight.

Even though Sanchez hasn't pitched in a real game setting for a couple of weeks, all signs point to him delivering a start that is of typical length. Phillies manager Rob Thomson explained that the team has faith in Sanchez to perform, especially given his impressive September performance, which included two starts where he fanned 10 batters in each.

Sanchez started 18 games this season -- he struck out four or more batters in 14 of them (77.8%).

He is particularly lethal against lefties, touting a 33.8% strikeout rate in the split.

He'll have to get past some powerful Arizona right-handed bats, such as Christian Walker, but Sanchez's 21.8% strikeout rate against righties isn't so dismal that it steers me off the over.

The Diamondbacks have been striking out a lot in the playoffs, maintaining a 26.5% strikeout rate (second-highest among 12 postseason teams), which should help Sanchez punch out four to clear this prop at +142 odds even though he'll likely be operating on a somewhat short leash.

Looking for more MLB betting opportunities? Check out all of the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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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.