MLB Home Run Player Prop Bets Today: Best Hitter HR Props (4/17/2026)

April 17, 2026

Zach's best MLB player prop bets for today (4/17/2026). Bet his home run props (HR props) and win money betting on MLB player props, including Gunnar Henderson, Willy Adames, Ketel Marte and more!

Welcome back, RotoBallers! After a fun work week full of great MLB action, all 30 teams are on the schedule this Friday to get the weekend started. Sutter Health Park and Coors Field are back in play for the weekend, and the weather is warming up across the country, creating favorable home run conditions to attack.

On this slate, I have four home run props to consider. You can play these props as individual bets, or you can also consider using them in a round robin format to maximize the return if more than one hits. Since all home run props are long shot plays by their very nature, I suggest a small unit size due to the high risk involved, especially if you're combining these options into a parlay or round robin. Let's take a look at the places and the matchups that make sense to target this Friday.

Below, you'll read about my favorite home run props from MLB games on Friday, April 17, 2026. All odds are going to be what was available at the time of writing this, so make sure to shop around and see if you can find better odds on other books.

MLB Prop Bets - Today's Home Run Prop Picks (4/17/2026)

Here are all the hitters I'll cover for HR props on Friday, April 17.

Gunnar Henderson OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+475 theScoreBet)

The Orioles are in Cleveland to face the Guardians this weekend, with both teams hovering around .500. Henderson and the O's lost the first game of this series, 4-2, but they'll look to bounce back on Friday night as they take on Tanner Bibee.

Bibee has allowed four homers in his four starts this season, going 0-2 with a 6.38 ERA and a 5.02 FIP. After a 37.1% hard-hit rate over his first three seasons in the majors, his hard-hit rate has jumped to 51.7% this season with a 10.3% barrel rate as well. All four of the homers he allowed were to lefties, who have a .545 SLG and .389 wOBA against him. Bibee looked strong in his only home start of the year, but he gave up eight runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings in his most recent start against the Braves, including a home run to lefty Dominic Smith.

The lefty on the Orioles that I like this Friday is Gunnar Henderson, who is off to a powerful start to the season. Henderson already has six homers in 19 games in 2026, after totaling only 17 homers in 154 games last year. The 24-year-old shortstop has a 50% hard-hit rate and has recorded multiple hard-hit balls in six of his last seven games, including his most recent homer last Saturday against Logan Webb:

GUNNAR HENDERSON WITH HIS LEAGUE-LEADING SIXTH HOME RUN OF THE SEASON! pic.twitter.com/0EbRonkwqO

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 12, 2026

While most of his games have been at home, Henderson has three homers in just seven road games, and he'll look to go yard again this Saturday in this favorable spot against Bibee. Henderson had success against Bibee in the past, going 4-for-9 with two doubles and a homer in their past meetings.

While Cleveland definitely isn't a homer haven like some of the other parks in play this Friday, the gametime temps are forecast to be over 60, so it won't be too frigid for home runs, like it was earlier in the season.

Willy Adames OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+402 DraftKings)

The Giants just faced Henderson's Orioles at the start of their nine-game road trip that also included a stop in Cincinnati to start the week. On Friday night, Adames and the Giants open the final series of their trip with a matchup against the Nationals and righty Zack Littell.

Adames has three homers on the season, and he has found a nice groove, hitting .343 over his last nine games with a pair of homers, after starting the season hitting .184 with just one homer in his first 10 games. He homered in the first game of the series against the Orioles and the first game of the series against the Reds, and he'll be looking to start a third straight series with a dinger on Friday.

SFG - Willy Adames Solo HR (3)

📏 386 ft | 💨 104.4 mph | 📐 35°
⚾️ 80.5 mph sweeper (CIN - RHP Brady Singer)
🏟️ Out in 30/30 MLB parks

SFG (1) @ CIN (2)
🔺 5th#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/CaVXPklrOF

— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) April 14, 2026

Adames will get a great home run matchup against Littell, who has been a prime option to attack for home run props over the last two seasons. Last year, he allowed 36 homers in 32 starts between the Rays and Reds. This year, in just 15 innings over three games, he has already served up five homers. Righties like Adames hit just one of the homers against him this season, but last year, righties hit 20 of the 36 homers against him with a .455 SLG and .318 wOBA for the year.

After a testy series in Cincinnati, the Giants will look to take out their frustrations on Littell and the Nats' pitching staff this weekend. Adames has been hitting leadoff until sliding to the second spot in the order on Thursday. Either way, hitting near the top of the order gives him more at-bats and opportunities to deliver on this home run prop this Friday.

Jordan Walker OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+540 FanDuel)

Despite low expectations coming into the season, the Cardinals are over .500 at 10-8 and playing well as they roll into Houston to take on the Astros this weekend. One of the key reasons for their overachieving early in the season has been Jordan Walker's power surge.

Walker has flashed upside and plenty of power in short bursts in the past, but he looks ready to turn the corner and have a true breakthrough season.

Jordan Walker extends his MLB home run lead with No. 8 💥 pic.twitter.com/QAUe4U83BX

— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2026

He no longer has the MLB home run lead, but his eight homers in 18 games are already more than he hit in 2024 (five in 51 games) and 2025 (six in 111 games). Walker is hitting .319 (22-for-69) with a .466 wOBA, 60.4% hard-hit rate, and a 22.9% barrel rate. He is in the 99th percentile in bat speed, xSLG, and xWOBA, indicating his homers haven't been flukey and his contact has been consistently excellent.

Walker and the Cardinals are in Houston to take on the Astros this weekend, and the Astros are running low on starting pitching options. On Friday night, they'll call on Peter Lambert for his first start in the majors since 2024. He played last year for the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, posting a 4.26 ERA over 116 1/3 innings in the pitcher-friendly league.

Lambert signed a minor-league contract but will get the call on Friday after Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Tatsuya Imai, and Cody Bolton all landed on the injured list. Lambert will need to eat some innings after a bullpen game on Thursday. He has looked solid in Triple-A and spring training, but righties have had success against him in the majors in the past, with 26 homers in 602 plate appearances in his career, with a .364 wOBA and .519 SLG.

Walker should be in a good spot to continue his hot start to the season this weekend at Daikin Park, and getting him at odds over +500 makes him seem like an excellent value play for this Friday.

Ketel Marte OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+326 Novig)

In one of the last games of the night, Ketel Marte and the Diamondbacks come home after their nine-game trip east. Arizona took two of three games against the Mets, Phillies, and Orioles and is coming home with an 11-8 record as they host the Toronto Blue Jays for the weekend.

Marte hit three homers on the nine-game trip, going 5-for-33 (.242) and hitting leadoff in each game that he started.

Ketel Marte sends the first pitch of the game 443 feet 😯 pic.twitter.com/JfNZmXNhhn

— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2026

Marte has hit 25+ homers in each of the last three seasons, and he's off to a solid start once again this year, posting a 48.1% hard-hit rate and similar swing metrics to the last few years. The 32-year-old switch-hitter has hit all four of his homers this year against righties, but last year, he had fairly even splits across the board. He just hasn't had many at-bats this year against lefties, like Eric Lauer, who he'll face on Friday night.

Lauer is 1-2 in his three starts this season with a 7.82 ERA, a 6.48 FIP, and three homers allowed in 12 2/3 innings. Two of those three homers were hit by righties, continuing a trend across Lauer's career (83.3% of home runs allowed have been to righties).

Marte is 7-for-19 in the past against Lauer with a double and a pair of home runs. He sees the lefty well and will look to get the Snakes' fans fired up early with another early homer this Friday night. Marte is a very solid value in this matchup as such a proven producer.

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