Caleb Wilfinger
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There are a whopping 15 baseball games happening around the country today, and it starts with the Mets taking on the Cubs at Wrigley Field. There is plenty of day MLB action after that until the Angels and Dodgers meet in Los Angeles to complete the slate.. Let’s dive into our best MLB player props for Friday, June 21, and you can also find out our MLB picks for today’s games.
Jack Flaherty (DET) over 17.5 outs recorded (-135)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Risking 1.35u.
This season has sparked something of a renaissance for Jack Flaherty, as the longtime veteran has revitalized his career in a major way in Detroit. Flaherty currently holds an ERA of 3.01 for the season and he’s also been generating strikeouts at the best rate of his career, posting 100 strikeouts to just 26 earned runs over 77.2 innings pitched. Flaherty is going up against an anemic White Sox lineup on Friday, which should bode well for his scoreless innings streak that currently sits at 16.2 dating back to May 30. The right-hander has also cleared this number in 7 of his last 10 starts, so as long as he doesn’t get into trouble with walking batters (only 11 walks recorded this season) I expect Flaherty to stay hot and make it through 6 innings cleanly once again.
Will Smith (LAD) over 1.5 total bases (+110)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Risking 1u.
Heading into the season, there was a lot made about the elite trio at the top of the Dodgers’ lineup, and while those hitters are a big reason why the Dodgers are in first place in the NL West, it’s been the man hitting in the cleanup spot who might present the biggest issue for the Angels in Friday’s game. Will Smith has long been one of the best catchers in the sport, but his splits against left-handed pitching this season are as good as it gets. The 29-year-old is hitting .362 against lefties with a SLG of .696 and a 1.140 OPS. Over the course of 69 at-bats, Smith has 25 hits and 13 extra-base hits, 5 of which have been home runs. In fact, Smith has as many doubles against lefties as he does against right-handers, where he has nearly three times the sample size of plate appearances. Look for the perennial All-Star catcher to record at least 2+ total bases and keep the line moving at home on Friday.
