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Kipp Heisterman's best MLB player prop bets for today (4/19/2025). Bet his strikeout props (K props) for strikeouts thrown and win money betting on MLB player props.
There is quite a bit to like on the mound today. There are also several pitchers you would not expect to gather strikeouts who have terrific matchups. This early in the season, we are still dealing with a smaller sample size, however, we can start to feel more and more confident in our selections as we move forward.
Sure, players will fluctuate throughout the year on a game-by-game basis and from year to year, but we usually get a pretty good sense of how strikeout percentages will look within the first four to five starts for pitchers and 150 at-bats for hitters. We are still waiting on some larger sample sizes for maximum confidence, but in the meantime, we can still take some shots on projecting how pitchers will fare in the K column today.
In this article, I'll provide my favorite prop bets for MLB games on Saturday, April 19, 2025. All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook, but I encourage you to shop around for the best price with other books.
MLB Prop Bets - Today's Strikeout Prop Picks
Here are the starting pitchers I'll cover for Saturday, April 19:
- Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners
- Ben Lively, Cleveland Guardians
- Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox
- Shane Baz, Tampa Bay Rays
- MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals
- Michael King, San Diego Padres
- Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
Logan Gilbert OVER 5.5 strikeouts (-140 DraftKings)
I am a huge fan of Logan Gilbert this season, as he has a real chance to get into the Cy Young conversation in my humble opinion. He has started out 2025 rather hot as he has now struck out 32 batters across his four starts.
Gilbert has also struck out at least seven batters in every single one of his starts, so this 5.5 should certainly be attainable in Toronto today. While the Blue Jays are only posting a 16% K rate vs right-handed pitchers thus far in 2025, Gilbert is not your ordinary pitcher.
Gilbert is in great form and should be able to lock down six here. He also makes for a nice parlay piece if you want to add him to any of the forthcoming plays as well.
Logan Gilbert, Disgusting 82mph Splitter. 🤮
475 RPMs pic.twitter.com/PtFEtQNL9g
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2025
Ben Lively OVER 3.5 strikeouts (-165 DraftKings)
You are going to have to hold your nose a little with this one, as Lively is certainly not a high-volume strikeout pitcher. That being said, he has eclipsed this total in each of his previous three starts.
Lively has a very solid matchup against the Pirates today as they are currently posting a 23.8% K rate vs. right-handers over the previous two weeks, which ranks seventh-worst in baseball. They are also posting just a 75 wRC+ mark against righties over that same span, so Lively could get some length in this one.
Just last night, Luis L. Ortiz for the Guardians mowed down eight Pirates, so here is hoping Lively can get at least half as many.
Garrett Crochet OVER 7.5 strikeouts (-145 DraftKings)
We have another play here with pretty middling odds as Crochet is juiced to the gills. This is another piece you may want to consider adding to a parlay, and the same goes for any picks with high juice.
Crochet has struck out eight or more in two of his previous three starts. One of these starts was his most recent start, which came against, you guessed it, the White Sox.
In that start against Chicago, Crochet mowed down 11 White Sox. This should come as no surprise, as Chicago is posting a K rate north of 25% against Southpaws. Look for Grochet to keep rolling in this matchup against his former team.
Shane Baz OVER 6.5 strikeouts (-115 DraftKings)
This is a pretty solid number on Shane Baz, given what we have seen from him thus far in 2025. He has struck out at least seven batters in two of his first three starts. He has also struck out at least 10 batters in those two starts, above seven strikeouts.
Today, he gets a matchup against the New York Yankees, which could be tough based on their wRC+ mark of 108 vs. right-handers over the previous two weeks. That being said, they were near the top of the strikeout charts against righties for the first week of the season.
Currently, they sit at a K rate of 21.2% vs. righties over the previous two weeks. I think this is high enough for Baz to keep rolling and get over 6.5. I would also expect bettors to feel similar sentiments, which means the juice to the over will rise on this one. Get it in early if you are on the same page as me.
Shane Baz's first 3 starts 👀🔥
- 6 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 10 K
- 7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 K
- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 11 K#MLBCentral | @RaysBaseball pic.twitter.com/QJ4buSRunX— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 15, 2025
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MacKenzie Gore OVER 6.5 strikeouts (-150 DraftKings)
Here is yet another K prop with high juice to the over, and for good reason. Gore has looked solid thus far as he has mowed down at least seven batters in three of his first four starts, including in each of his previous two starts.
Today, he gets a matchup against the Colorado Rockies, who we know love to get struck out. Over the previous two weeks, Colorado has struck out at a rate of 25.2% vs. left-handers, which ranks them in the bottom half of the league.
They have also posted an abysmal 66 wRC+ mark vs. Southpaws over that same span. This should give Gore enough length to mow down seven. He has also lasted at least six innings pitched in all but one start this season.
Michael King OVER 6.5 strikeouts (+120 DraftKings)
We finally have a selection with some juice on the bettors' side with Michael King. King has been solid through his first four starts, striking out at least eight batters in two of his three most recent starts.
He will be up against the Houston Astros, who are not the same Stros we have seen in recent years. This team strikes out a bit more than we are accustomed to compared with Stros' lineups of yore. Over the previous two weeks, they have posted a K rate of 20%, which is typically my threshold when looking at K props.
This should be high enough for King to continue rolling. I also like the fact that this game is in a controlled environment in Houston for King's success.
Chris Sale OVER 7.5 strikeouts (+125 DraftKings)
Our final prop of the day is another one listed at plus odds. Sale has yet to eclipse this number in any game in 2025, however, the matchup for him against the Twins could not get much better.
Over the previous two weeks (72 PA), the Twins have posted an absurd K rate against left-handers with a rate of 37.5%! You read that correctly. This is by far the highest K rate of any team against left-handers or right-handers. They are also posting an absurdly low wRC+ mark of 25 over that same span.
The wRC+ mark sticks out to me in this matchup because Sale has struggled early by allowing runs. He is still striking guys out, but his starts have been cut short due to struggles with runs allowed and/or walks. That should not be the case in this one, as the Twins are also posting just a 1.4% walk rate vs. lefties over that same span.
I can honestly say, I think this might be the lowest walk rate I have ever seen in a sample size greater than 50 plate appearances and should certainly help Sale finally get some length.
Chris Sale, Vicious 78mph Slider. 😤 pic.twitter.com/y4PZQW0WUA
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2025
Good luck if you're tailing any or all of these picks, and thanks for reading!
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