Major League Baseball is fast-paced, unpredictable, and exciting, meaning it lends itself well to online sports betting. Millions of gamblers wager on the outcome of MLB games each season, with the leading sportsbooks offering a long list of markets with attractive odds attached. MLB prop bets are one of the best ways to gamble on baseball, but it’s a market not every bettor understands, and, as a result, it's under-used and under-appreciated.
Whop is here to change that with this article explaining MLB prop bets. Keep reading to find out more, including what prop bets are and how you can use them to target a profit.
Why the MLB?
Baseball is one of the world’s most popular sports, with professional leagues in many countries worldwide. The United States is respected as the sport’s spiritual home, and Major League Baseball is considered the cream of the crop. It boasts the game’s most famous teams, skilled players, and experienced coaches.
A packed and busy schedule ensures there’s always an interesting game to watch throughout the season. That’s great news for bettors.
What are Prop Bets?
Prop bets are a gambling market available on almost all major sports and fixtures, including the NFL, Premier League soccer, and the NHL. Prop bets - short for proposition bets - are wagers placed on specific events that don’t necessarily affect the result of a game.
An example of a prop bet in American Football would be a player to score the first touchdown, or in Premier League soccer, it might be a player to score at any time during the game. You can back Erling Haaland to find the net, and if he scores, your bet will be a winner, you’ll land a profit, even if Man City didn’t win the game.
Prop bets cover a wide range of possibilities, allowing bettors to get deeper into the action than ever before. You can wager on specific areas of a game, fight, or race and it’s a market that’s perfectly suited to gamblers who like to research their wagers in-depth before parting with their stake. Have your say on every detail of a game, from important aspects like goals and points to less popular areas, including coin toss or a player to be booked in soccer.
Prop bets are popular as they provide gamblers with additional excitement and a new way to play. They are perfectly suited to baseball betting and it’s no surprise prop bets are one of the most common wagers placed on MLB fixtures.
What is an MLB Prop Bet?
Now that we have a better understanding of prop bets and how they work in online sports gambling, let’s investigate MLB prop bets. When gambling on the prop bets market in a Major League Baseball game, you will have many interesting options.
The most successful baseball gamblers study the stats and trends before looking at the pre-match betting markets and odds. They then make their findings fit one of the many gambling options with the odds that appeal. That approach ensures a well-researched pick at a nice price that doesn’t rely on the final result or score and keeps you entertained throughout the play.
When looking for MLB prop bets, you’ll find many options. Below are the 10 most popular available at online sportsbooks today.
| Market | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Player to Hit a Home Run | Betting on whether a specific player will hit a home run during a game. |
| Total Hits by a Player | Wagering on the number of hits a particular player will get in a game, often presented as an over/under. |
| Total Strikeouts by a Pitcher | Betting on the number of strikeouts a pitcher will record in a game, usually offered as an over/under. |
| Total Runs Scored by a Player | Betting on the number of runs a specific player will score during the game. |
| Total RBIs (Runs Batted In) by a Player | Wagering on how many RBIs a player will record, typically offered as an over/under. |
| Total Walks Issued by a Pitcher | Betting on the number of walks a pitcher will give up in a game, usually an over/under bet. |
| Innings Pitched by a Starting Pitcher | Wagering on the total number of innings a starting pitcher will complete, often offered as an over/under. |
| First Player to Record a Hit | Betting on which player will get the first hit in the game. |
| Player to Steal a Base | Betting on whether a specific player will successfully steal a base during the game. |
| Player to Hit for the Cycle | Wagering on whether a player will hit for the cycle (a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game), which is typically offered as a high-reward prop bet due to its rarity. |
Why Bet Props Instead of the Spread?
When gambling on an MLB game broadcast live on television, players may wonder why choose prop bets over the spread, and that’s an interesting question we wanted to address in our article.
The spread is certainly an exciting way to gamble on major sports and will add interest to even the dullest fixture, but many professional and profitable gamblers prefer prop bets as they offer more freedom and creativity. Some of the unique attractions of prop bets include enhanced engagement with a fixture, allowing you to focus on only the areas of play that interest you most.
You can diversify your betting and track the profit and loss from props against the profit and loss from other markets, including spreads and the moneyline. The results of that research will make you a better, more accurate, and informed gambler.
Another advantage to betting props over spreads is that there are more betting opportunities, and more options mean more ways to win. When you have the results of your research, you’ll have a greater chance of finding a prop bet that fits naturally than trying to make it fit one of the spreads available.
Prop betting offers greater flexibility, often has higher odds attached, and allows you to diversify your bets and personalize your gambling.
How to Place MLB Prop Bets
We now have a solid understanding of MLB prop bets, where to find them, the options available, and why they are so popular with baseball and sportsbook gamblers. It’s now time to help get you more involved by explaining how you can place MLB prop bets.
Decide on a sportsbook
Your first port of call is to find an online sportsbook that’s legal in your region, licensed, reputable and offers prop bets as well as a great welcome bonus, such as a free bet or enhanced odds. Research available sportsbooks and read our reviews to find the best-fit for you as a gambler and baseball fan. Your bookie should love the sport as much as you do and show it with a wealth of leagues, games and markets.
Research the available prop bets
You must then ensure you have a proper understanding of the prop bets available before risking your hard-earned cash. Too many gamblers make the mistake of rushing into bets and not researching the form or understanding the market. A popular option is batter player prop bets, which allow you to predict total hits, home runs, runs batted in and runs scored.
Another popular option you’ll find available at the leading gambling apps is pitcher player props, where you call the strikeouts, earned runs allowed, innings pitched and walks allowed. Bet on the home or away splits, lefty/righty splits, day/night splits and more.
It’s worth researching the ballpark to increase your chances of winning. Learn the altitude, dimensions, wind direction, humidity, and other important factors and super-charge your chances of winning. Familiarize yourself with the expected stats that provide useful information on a player’s recent performances using advanced metrics.
Find the best odds
When you have found the right bookmaker and researched a game to select the best bet, it’s time to find the odds that suit. Check any respected gambling odds comparison app for a long list of MLB fixtures, prop bets and the prices available. The biggest quote is often in bold, making it easier to find and the bookie with the highest odds is the one you should always bet with. That’s why many profitable gamblers hold accounts at several firms to ensure they always have access to the market best price.
When researching MLB gambling odds you’ll quickly notice there’s not a lot of difference between the odds offered by the leading firms. But it’s critical to remember those small margins can quickly add up during a season and could prove the difference between making a profit or suffering a negative betting balance.
Cash out
When your gamble is live, you’ll notice a cash-out amount on your bet slip and it’s worth monitoring the value. As MLB games can change direction in an instant, it’s important to track the cash-out. Consider ending your bet when you’re in a positive balance or use the cash-out to limit losses when you have made a poor selection.
Put Your Knowledge to the Test
MLB prop bets are an exciting, imaginative and unique way to gamble on the top teams in Major League Baseball or to add an extra layer of excitement to an otherwise dull fixture. They work perfectly with MLB games broadcast live on television or the best live-streaming apps as you can follow your picks. But MLB prop bets are available on all games from America’s leading baseball league.
We’ve mentioned it already in this article but make no apologies for repeating ourselves when saying the more you study and more information you have the better your chance of beating the bookies using MLB prop bets.
A style of betting that’s great fun, but props can also prove costly if you fail to research, don’t have a proper staking plan or gamble in anger or frustration.
Find MLB Picks Communities on Whop
We hope you enjoyed reading our article on MLB prop bets and found it insightful. Are you ready to rush out and start betting on baseball using your newfound knowledge? Wait just a minute, as Whop has even more useful information and gambling tools ready to help.
If you’re looking for Major League Baseball previews, predictions, and betting tips, you’ll find sports betting communities on the Whop Marketplace. These communities are led by experienced sports bettor and cappers, sharing their education, tips, and picks with their members. Join a sports picks community ahead of the next exciting round of fixtures.
MLB Prop Bets FAQs
Are MLB prop bets available on every game?
You’ll find prop bets available on many sports and fixtures, including all MLB games. Check your sportsbook for more information.
What happens if your pick doesn’t play?
If you gamble on MLB prop bets and your selected player doesn’t feature in the game the sportsbook will void your bet and return the stakes to your account balance.
How do MLB prop bets work?
You’re gambling on an individual aspect of a game, rathe than the result. That means you’ll wager on a player to score a certain number of runs or another interesting option.
How can I predict a winner using MLB prop bets?
There’s no guaranteed way to always pick a winner when gambling on MLB or any sports competition. But the more research you do the greater your chances of winning.
Where can I find MLB prop bets?
Visit your sportsbook, click on MLB and then the game you want to follow to expand all available betting markets. You’ll find MLB prop bets there.
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