
Casey Wilson's best MLB player prop bets for today (5/1/2025). Bet his home run props (HR props) and win money betting on MLB player props.
We've got an eleven-game slate in action on Thursday, giving us opportunities to find some bats to go yard. We don't have a ton of high wind spots like we have had the last two days, but there are still opportunities, with the weather heating up, to target the long ball in some good hitting spots.
I will provide my five favorite home run bets on today’s slate. My favorite way to bet home runs is to round robin them, which I will do tonight. There are plenty of bets tonight with value, so to make a profit, we only need two of our five hitters to go deep.
Keep reading to find out my favorite home run props from MLB games on Thursday, May 1, 2025. The odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change throughout the day. Don't forget to shop around at other sportsbooks to find the best value on your wagers.
Featured Promo: Get any Props Premium Pass for 30% off using code NEW. Win more with our two new Props Optimizer tools -- one for PrizePicks Props, and one for Sportsbook Betting Props. Find optimal prop bets and get our recommended picks daily! Go Premium, Win More!
MLB Prop Bets - Today's Home Run Prop Picks
Here are the hitters I'll cover for Thursday, May 1:
- Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals
- Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
- Kyle Higashioka, Texas Rangers
- James Wood, Washington Nationals
- Spencer Torkelson, Los Angeles Angels
Masyn Winn OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+400 DraftKings Sportsbook)
When a man is hot, a man is hot. If you missed it in yesterday’s double header with the Reds, Winn went four for eight with two home runs and eleven total bases. We will ride a hot hand who crushes left-hand pitching over his career, facing a fly ball southpaw in the Great American Ballpark. Since 2023, the Reds' home park has allowed 121 home runs to right-hand hitters, third in MLB.
Masyn Winn in today’s doubleheader:
4-for-8
2 HR
4 runs scored
2 RBI
11 total bases
pic.twitter.com/YXTBfgNPjZ— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) May 1, 2025
Andrew Abbott is a good pitcher, but is also prone to the home run and has a massive fly ball rate. In 2025, Abbott has a 4.00 xFIP, 32.8% K, and an 11.2% SwStr this season. He has a 1.80 HR/9 and a 63.6% FB in 2025. Right-handed hitters have a 4.11 xFIP, 1.6 HR/9, 66.7% FB, and a 33.3% Hard Hit. One or more right-handed batters are going yard for the Redbirds today.
My favorite candidate is Masyn Winn, who is red hot, as mentioned above. Since 2024, Winn has a .337 wOBA, .228 ISO, and nine home runs against the split. Abbott is most susceptible to home runs off his four-seamer. In 2024, he had a .463 xSLG and 14 HRs; in 2025, he had a .342 xSLG and 2 HRs.
- Arm Angle: 45 Pitches, .415 wOBA, .333 ISO, 0 HRs
- Four-Seamer:97 Pitches, .470 wOBA, .500 ISO, 1 HR
Winn is red hot and in a great hitting ballpark that catches his eye. He profiles well against Abbott's mix and arm angle, which makes him susceptible to giving up a ton of power and fly balls to right-handed hitters. What could go wrong?
Jose Ramirez OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+320 DraftKings Sportsbook)
I am returning to the well with Jose Ramirez after he let us down on Tuesday. He will get a matchup against Simeon Woods Richardson in Cleveland, with the wind blowing out to dead center at 10 mph.
Simeon Woods-Richardson has a 4.26 xFIP, 1.48 HR/9 and a 55.6% FB in 2025. He has a 1.86 HR/9 and a 51.7% FB over his last two appearances. Lefties have destroyed Woods-Richardson this season. He has a 5.36 xFIP, 2.0 HR/9, 52.9% FB, and a 34.3% Hard Hit. He has a 54.3% Pull rate, which is a massive benefit to the lefties in this park.
The top bat for the Guardians in this matchup is Jose Ramirez. Since 2024, Jose has had a .335 wOBA and a .221 ISO against right-handed pitching. Jose has hit four of his five home runs against right-handed pitching this season, and he has pulled all of them.
Jose profiles extremely well against the mix of Woods-Richardson. SWR has two pitches that have gotten crushed by LHP over the last two seasons. His four-seamer has a .610 xSLG with 2 HRs in 2025, and his changeup has a .778 xSLG with 1 HR. This pitch has a .443 xSLG and 8 HRs against it in 2024.
- Arm Angle: 86 Pitches, .602 wOBA, .348 ISO, 2 HRs
- Four-Seamer: 187 Pitches, .533 wOBA, .459 ISO, 5 HRs
- Changeup: 103 Pitches, .285 wOBA, .292 ISO, 2 HRs
Let’s try this again with my hometown Guardians getting me a home run this afternoon.
Kyle Higashioka OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+390 DraftKings Sportsbook)
Let’s get weird with Kyle Higashioka against southpaw Jeffrey Springs and the Athletics. Higgy profiles extremely well here, and Springs has been giving up the long ball. This game will be played in a dome at Globe Life Field. Since 2023, it has surrendered 115 home runs to right-handed hitters. That mark is fourth in MLB during that span.
Jeffrey Springs, as mentioned earlier, has struggled with the long ball. In 2025, he has a 4.97 xFIP, 1.59 HR/9, 47.2% FB, and 30.3% FB. Over his last two starts, he has a 6.11 xFIP, 2.16 HR/9, 50.0% FB, and a 40.0% Hard Hit. He is trending in the wrong direction and has been crushed by right-handed bats this season. Righties have a 4.65 xFIP, 1.9 HR/9, 44.0% FB, and a 34.7% Hard Hit in 2025.
Higashioka profiles extremely well here and is clicking all the boxes for me. He has a .321 wOBA, .130 ISO, 44.4% FB, 50.0% Pull, and a 28.9% Hard Hit against right-hand pitching in 2025. He crushes Springs's pitch mix and arm angle and throws two pitches to left-hand hitters that have given him fits. His four-seamer has a .586 xSLG and 3 HRs against this season, and his changeup has a .321 xSLG and 2 HRs against.
- Arm Angle: 24 Pitches, .655 wOBA, .167 ISO, 0 HRs
- Four-Seamer: .639 wOBA, .500 ISO, 1 HRs
- Changeup: 21 Pitches, .586 wOBA, .857 ISO, 2 HRs
Higgy clicks all the boxes for me and hits the low velocity of Springs better than anyone from the Rangers. I was close to pulling the trigger on the more popular Wyatt Langford, but I am going with my gut, and Kyle Higashioka is going yard tonight.
Sports Betting Promo Offers
Featured Promo: Get any Betting Premium Pass for 30% off using code NEW. Win more with exclusive betting picks from proven winners across 9 sports! Find optimal bets with our Betting Picks Tool and Bet Weighting Tool and follow along in our VIP chat rooms! Go Premium, Win More!
James Wood OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+370 DraftKings)
James Wood is an absolute star. His underlying metrics are elite, and he smashes right-hand pitching. He will face Taijuan Walker at Citizens Bank Park. Since 2023, there have been 124 home runs hit by left-handed hitters here. That mark is second in MLB over that span. Wind is blowing out to left field tonight, which benefits Wood because of his opposite-field power.
Taijuan Walker, who has some negative regression coming his way. Walker has a 2.78 ERA, but his 3.94 xERA tells a different story. Walker has a 4.40 xFIP, 0.79 HR/9, and a 35.8% FB. In 2024, Walker was prone to the long ball with a 2.58 HR/9 and a 40.6% FB.
Wood is by far the best bat in this lineup and profiles extremely well against Walker's arm angle and pitch mix. Wood has a .397 wOBA and a .286 ISO against the split in 2025. He has a .452 wOBA, a .381 ISO, and a 35.7% Hard Hit over his last 25 plate appearances. Everything lines up for Wood to leave the park tonight.
Spencer Torkelson OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+330 DraftKings Sportsbook)
We end our journey today with Spencer Torkelson and the Detroit Tigers against Yusei Kikuchi. Kikuchi is another good pitcher who profiles pretty well here, but the metrics for Torkelson in this ballpark are too hard to pass up. Angel Stadium has allowed 115 home runs to right-handed hitters since 2023.
Torkelson has destroyed left-hand pitching since his call-up. In 2025, he has a .422 wOBA, .400 ISO, 64.0% FB, and a 52.0 Hard Hit over 43 plate appearances. He has a 52.0% pull rate, and in this park, it is precisely where right-hand hitters want to leave the yard. Over his last 16 plate appearances, he has a .502 wOBA, .583 ISO, and a 75.0% FB against the split.
🔥 .286 AVG, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 1.010 OPS 🔥
Let's take a look at the adjustment Spencer Torkelson has made at the plate in 2025!#MLBCentral | @tigers | @markdero7 pic.twitter.com/vIJiGgIZPo
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 18, 2025
Although Kikuchi has been good this season, he still struggles with right-handed hitters. In 2025, he has a 4.85 xFIP, 1.4 HR/9, 38.8% FB, and a 32.1 % Hard Hit. He has allowed all four home runs in 2025 against right-hand hitters. I love the chances of a late-night bomb from Tork to bring us home.
Today’s MLB slate offers excellent opportunities to cash in on home run props. Whether you're riding the hot streak of Masyn Winn, backing the bounce-back potential of Jose Ramirez, or taking a value swing with Kyle Higashioka, these player props are packed with upside. Don’t overlook James Wood's elite metrics or Spencer Torkelson’s dominance versus lefties — both are primed for long balls in hitter-friendly parks. A well-placed round robin on the right sluggers could turn tonight into a profitable one. Let’s go yard!
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!