MLB Props Today: 3 Best MLB Prop Bets for Friday, July 17, 2026

Top MLB Player Props at a Glance

• Gerrit Cole Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-140)
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to Record an RBI (+160)
• Gunnar Henderson 2+ Hits/Runs/RBI (-135)

The beauty of baseball is the wide variety of prop markets at your fingertips each day -- from home runs to strikeouts to total bases and much more.

Here are some MLB player props that look appealing via the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. You can also check out our MLB player news page to stay up to date with lineup news and injuries.as well as our MLB projections.

MLB odds via FanDuel Sportsbook and may change throughout the day after this article is published. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

What are the top MLB home run picks for today?

MLB Prop Bets: MLB Props for Today

Gerrit Cole Under 5.5 Strikeouts (-140)

Dodgers vs. Yankees, 7:06 p.m. ET

Gerrit Cole is still rounding into form after his injury, and he has a brutally tough matchup today against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That pushes me toward the under on Cole’s K prop.

So far this season, Cole is struggling to miss bats, posting a lowly 7.9% swinging-strike rate through 49 innings. He’s struck out five or fewer batters in five of his nine outings, and the New York Yankees have let him top 90 pitches only once in his last four starts.

Add in the high-octane firepower of the Dodgers, a team with the sixth-lowest K rate, and there’s just not much pointing to Cole having a big strikeout game tonight.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to Record an RBI (+160)

White Sox vs. Blue Jays, 7:16 p.m. ET

Anthony Kay has produced some quality outings lately. I’m not buying it.

Despite posting a 2.84 ERA over his last four starts, Kay owns a 4.45 xFIP in that time. His season-long stats of a 4.67 SIERA and 17.6% strikeout rate tell the story of a struggling southpaw.

Enter Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Toronto Blue Jays‘ slugger hasn’t been as bad as his .312 wOBA suggests. Vladdy has a .343 expected wOBA and is being held back by a career-low 6.6% homer-to-fly-ball rate, which is way off his 16.8% career mark.

Vladdy has been hitting second or third in the lineup lately. Second isn’t as good of a spot for RBIs, but even if he’s slotted there tonight, I still like these +160 odds for him to drive in a run in a matchup where he’s got the platoon advantage against a meh left-hander.

Gunnar Henderson to Record 2+ Hits/Runs/RBI (-135)

Orioles vs. Astros, 8:11 p.m. ET

Peter Lambert is posting improved numbers in his first season with the Houston Astros, but things don’t look as great once you pop the hood, which puts me on this Gunnar Henderson prop bet.

Lambert is the owner of a 3.14 ERA and 22.9% K rate. But his xFIP is 4.48, and his swinging-strike rate is only 10.3%. He’s certainly doing better than he has in the past, but he’s not quite as good as his results say.

Henderson has already matched his 2025 dinger output with 17. He’s got a 43.1% hard-hit rate and 40.7% fly-ball rate against right-handers, and he’s stinging the ball so far in July, racking up a 54.5% hard-hit rate this month.

Likely to be atop the order, Henderson is in a good spot for run production, and him to notch at least two H/R/RBI is my favorite player prop on Friday.

MLB Prop Bets -- Frequently Asked Questions

What are MLB player prop bets?

MLB player prop bets are wagers on specific statistical outcomes tied to individual players during a game — not on which team wins or loses. You might bet on how many strikeouts a starting pitcher records, whether a shortstop gets a hit, or how many total bases an outfielder accumulates.

Because they are isolated to a single player's performance, props let you apply focused knowledge about matchups, recent form, and ballpark conditions rather than predicting the full game result.

What types of MLB player props are available?

FanDuel offers a wide menu of MLB props. The most common categories include:

• Pitcher strikeouts
• Batter hits
• Home runs
• Total bases
• RBIs
• Stolen bases
• Pitcher outs recorded

How do MLB player prop bet odds work?

MLB prop odds use the standard American (moneyline) format. A negative number shows how much you must wager to profit $100. A positive number shows how much a $100 bet returns in profit.

• -110 odds — bet $110 to win $100
• +130 odds — bet $100 to win $130
• -200 odds — bet $200 to win $100

What does "total bases" mean as a prop bet?

The total bases prop counts the bases a batter earns from hits in a single game:

• Single = 1 base
• Double = 2 bases
• Triple = 3 bases
• Home run = 4 bases

Walks, hit-by-pitches, and stolen bases do not count. A typical total bases line is set at 1.5 or 2.5. Betting over 1.5 means you need at least a double, or two singles.

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Which player props stand out to you today? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds to see the full menu of options.

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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.