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Zach's best MLB player prop bets for today (5/1/2026). Bet his home run props (HR props) and win money betting on MLB player props, including Byron Buxton, Ozzie Albies, and more!
Welcome back, RotoBallers! Major League Baseball has 15 games on the scoreboard this Friday, with a matinee at Wrigley and a full night with 28 teams in action under the lights. Sutter Health Park and Coors Field are both hosting games, and all across the league, some juicy home run props stand out as strong options to consider.
On Thursday, Nathaniel Lowe kept my home run props hot with an afternoon smash, and hopefully, we can hunt down a few more long balls on Friday from the 30 matchups on the board. Today's options come with very favorable odds, and my picks bring even more value potential than normal. I tried to dive past the obvious options and hunt up some strong sleeper plays.
Below, you'll read about my favorite home run props from MLB games on Friday, May 1, 2026. The current odds given reflect the best price as of the publication, but remember to always shop around at other sportsbooks so you can get more value on your wagers. Odds can vary significantly from one sportsbook to another.
MLB Prop Bets - Today's Home Run Prop Picks (5/1/2026)
Byron Buxton OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+355 Kalshi)
The Twins are hosting the Blue Jays this weekend, and they took the first game of the series on Thursday night behind another Buck Truck:
Byron Buxton launches his eighth home run of the season ☄️ pic.twitter.com/7vlaVAFTe5
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2026
Throughout his career, Buxton has a history of going on home run binges, and he's in the middle of a nice run right now. The 32-year-old righty has eight blasts in his 29 games and is hitting .252 with a .504 SLG and .352 wOBA on the season.
All eight of his homers have come in his last 15 games, and during that stretch, he's hitting .309 with a 46.9% hard-hit rate, a 20.4% barrel rate, and a .444 wOBA. He's hit six of his eight long balls at Target Field, where he'll look to stay hot Friday night in a favorable matchup against Patrick Corbin.
Corbin has served up two homers (both to righties) in his four starts this season, posting a 3.72 ERA and 4.06 FIP. His 41.8% hard-hit rate and 9.1% barrel rate give him a higher xERA, and hitters are making good contact against him in his 19 1/3 innings.
The wind will be blowing out to right-center on Friday night, and Buxton should be a good spot to stay hot against Corbin, making him one of the top home run props for Friday night.
Ozzie Albies OVER 0.5 Home Runs (+490 DraftKings)
The Rockies come home to Coors Field this weekend, and even with a slight breeze blowing in, it should be a favorable home run environment with game-time temperatures near 60. The home team will give the ball to veteran lefty Jose Quintana for the first game of their series against the Braves. I'm surprised that Albies odds are so favorable, and he's one of my favorite plays on Friday night, even though he's almost a 5:1 long shot.
Albies has seven homers this season in 32 games after only hitting 16 in 157 games last year. He has four seasons in his career with at least 24 homers, though, so the power is definitely there when he can tap into it. He homered twice in the Braves' home series this week against the Tigers and has four long balls in his last 14 games.
Ozzie Albies goes yard for a second straight night! pic.twitter.com/0ZNM4snto1
— MLB (@MLB) April 29, 2026
The homer in the highlight above came off a lefty (Tarik Skubal--by all accounts a pretty good pitcher), and he's hitting .373 against southpaws this season with three homers and a .439 wOBA on that side of the splits. He's always been a lefty masher when he's locked in at the plate, and he will look to continue that role with another matchup against a lefty on Friday night.
Albies is an impressive 9-for-19 against Quintana in the past with three home runs. Sometimes, BvP matchups can get a little overplayed due to the small sample size, but this is one case where it reinforces other splits and makes sense to acknowledge.
Overall, Quintana is 1-2 in four starts this season for the Rockies, giving up 12 runs on 17 hits in 18 1/3 innings, including four home runs. Two of the four homers against him came in his five innings at Coors Field, where he has a 7.20 ERA and 8.53 FIP.
In this matchup at Coors Field against Quintana, I love the value Albies brings, especially since he's been hitting the ball so well as he heads to the Mile High City.
