MLB Best Player Props Today – April 17th, 2025

It’s a smaller slate for MLB player props today, but we’ve still got three intriguing spots to target with your baseball wagers.

This includes three pitcher player props, featuring Reese Olson, Will Warren, and Kumar Rocker. We’re riding with Olson (favorable matchup) and Warren (new four-seamer) while fading Rocker (pitch mix change). 

Let’s try to build off last week’s result of 2-1 (+0.6 units), putting my season-long record with picks on this page at 3-3 (-0.31 units). With that in mind, here are my best MLB player props for April 17th, 2025.

Note: Odds were correct at the time of writing.

Reese Olson Over 16.5 Outs (-130) at DraftKings

Olson has gotten off to a slow start this year, registering a 6.00 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in 15 innings through three outings. 

The Tigers righty has failed to get to 17+ outs (5.2 innings) in two of his three starts so far.

But this looks like a great opportunity for a bounce back against a struggling Royals lineup that has combined for only 27 runs in their last 12 games.

This is a pitcher who has performed better at home, putting up a 3.41 xFIP at Comerica Park last season (3.99 xFIP on the road). In Olson’s one home outing this year, he went six innings against the White Sox. 

We saw Olson dominate the Royals at home last season as well, including seven innings with only one run allowed.

In addition to the exploitable matchup, we’re getting favorable weather conditions. According to RotoGrinders, the wind is blowing in from center at 10 MPH, which could turn potential home runs into fly balls.

This bodes well for a quality outing from Olson. It also helps that we’ve seen the Tigers give him a reasonable pitch count so far, including 90+ pitches in each of his three starts.

We often see outs props juiced to the over, so take advantage of the reasonable price at (-130) odds.

Odds Comparison for Reese Olson Over 16.5 Outs

Sportsbook	Odds
DraftKings	-130
bet365	-130
Hard Rock Bet	-130
BetMGM	-135
Fliff	-155

Will Warren Over 5.5 Strikeouts (+125) at bet365

Warren has failed to rack up six or more strikeouts in two of three starts this season, but we saw some intriguing developments in his last outing.

According to Pitcher List, Warren showcased a new four-seamer in that outing. This came from a lower arm angle, allowing him to elevate the heater more consistently. 

It’s no coincidence that Warren’s best strikeout output came in that outing, including six punchouts with a season-high 14.3% swinging-strike rate.

If this development sticks, we could see Warren become a prolific strikeout pitcher.

The Rays have struck out at a higher rate lately as well. In the last seven days, Tampa Bay has registered a 24.7 K%, which ranks 22nd in MLB during this stretch.

This includes a seven-strikeout outing from Braves righty A.J. Smith-Shawver.

At (+125) odds, we’re getting a nice price at bet365, as this is as short as (+110) at Hard Rock Bet.

Odds Comparison for Will Warren Over 5.5 Strikeouts

Sportsbook	Odds
bet365	+125
FanDuel	+124
DraftKings	+115
BetMGM	+115
Hard Rock Bet	+110

Kumar Rocker Under 4.5 Strikeouts (+105) at DraftKings

Rocker has struggled this season, putting up only 7.94 ERA and 1.94 WHIP with only six strikeouts in 11.1 innings. 

In his last two outings, the Rangers righty has only three strikeouts in 8.1 innings. This includes an abysmal 6.2% swinging-strike rate.

We’re seeing Rocker use his sinker 40.2% of the time, which is a major increase from last year (16.5% usage), according to Baseball Savant. This is the type of pitch designed to induce contact, not miss bats. 

In other words, it’s hard for Rocker to rack up strikeouts when he’s changed up his arsenal to try to pitch to contact.

It also doesn’t help that the Angels have an above-average 113 wRC+ in the last seven days. This could result in yet another short outing for Rocker, who has failed to go more than five innings in each of his three starts.

There’s a good chance that this will be Rocker’s last outing before returning to Triple-A, as Jack Leiter is close to being activated off the injured list. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts. 

The fact that we’re getting plus money on this prop makes it even more enticing.

Odds Comparison for Kumar Rocker Under 4.5 Strikeouts

Sportsbook	Odds
bet365	+105
DraftKings	+105
BetMGM	+105
Hard Rock Bet	+100
Fliff	-110