Daily Strikeout Leader: There Are Some Appealing Arms at Longer Odds

Each day on FanDuel Sportsbook, there is no shortage of MLB odds to sift through, and you're likely familiar with a lot of them. That includes strikeout props, which are entertaining because they add importance to each pitch.

FanDuel Sportsbook has cranked that up a few notches with its daily strikeout leader market. Not only do you need your guys to rack up Ks -- you need them to get more punchouts than any of the day's other starting pitchers.

Here are today's odds in that market.

An Underwhelming Top Tier

Gerrit Cole (+600) and Hunter Greene (+850) are the only two hurlers listed at odds shorter than +1300, but I can't talk myself into either.

Between the two, Cole makes more sense.

He has a friendly matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team whose active roster owns the eighth-highest strikeout rate versus righties (24.0%). While the matchup is there, Cole hasn't brought elite strikeout upside to the table in 2023, posting a meh -- by Cole's standards -- 11.5% swinging-strike rate. He's gotten up to nine punchouts -- near the kind of number it usually takes to win this market -- in just two of his last nine outings.

All in all, Cole makes some sense, but I prefer to take a stab at some pitchers with longer odds.

Two Enticing Righties

I'm really into Bobby Miller (+1300) and Griffin Canning (+1800), especially Canning at +1800.

Canning has an excellent matchup as he's at home versus the Detroit Tigers. Detroit has been one of baseball's worst offenses all year, particularly against righties. In the split, their active roster has struggled to an MLB-worst wOBA (.296) and the sixth-highest K rate (24.6%).

In the midst of a breakout campaign, Canning has pitched to a 3.76 SIERA, 26.0% strikeout rate and 12.9% swinging-strike rate. His strikeout numbers are comparable to Cole's, and the matchup is just as good -- yet Canning is +1800.

As for Miller, he throws gas, recording an average fastball velocity of 99.2 MPH. It hasn't translated to many Ks, though, as he has a meh 22.0% strikeout rate through 101 2/3 innings. But his strikeout potential gets a lift from a matchup against the Seattle Mariners, an offense with the fourth-highest strikeout rate (25.3%) against right-handers.

Two Viable Darts

Cristian Javier (+3400) is having a weird season. In 2022, he looked like a top-shelf hurler, ending the year with a 3.14 SIERA and 33.2% strikeout rate. He's taken a massive step back this season and is showing a 4.92 SIERA and 21.9% strikeout rate.

Despite the pedestrian 2023 numbers, Javier is worth a look thanks to a tasty matchup against the Kansas City Royals, a team that is 24th in wOBA (.306) versus righties with the 10th-highest K rate (23.7%) in the split.

Also among the long shots, David Peterson (+2800) catches my eye.

His 24.5% strikeout rate and 12.4% swinging-strike rate are darn good numbers for a guy listed at +2800. The matchup is solid, too, as the Cincinnati Reds have stumbled of late, putting up the sixth-highest strikeout rate (25.3%) in the second half along with the seventh-worst wOBA (.303).

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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.