Power-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh headlines Wednesday’s top MLB prop picks.
Today’s MLB props narrative: Raleigh is torching pitchers, as he’s elevated his game to new heights and is among the most feared hitters in the sport through two months. He has a juicy matchup tonight, and I expect the damage to continue.
Check out my top MLB prop bets for May 28, featuring predictions on Yusei Kikuchi and Clarke Schmidt.
MLB prop bets
Best bet: Raleigh over 1.5 total bases (+104)
It’s impossible to see this matchup and not sniff out Raleigh’s props.
- Raleigh leads the American League with 19 homers and is well on his way to his third straight 30-homer season.
- He’s slugging .603 and has a .975 OPS, numbers that far exceed his career-best marks.
- In May, Raleigh has nine homers, is slugging .692 and has a 1.109 OPS.
- By wRC+, the only player who has been better this month is Aaron Judge.
Raleigh is crushing both lefties and righties and his Seattle Mariners get the struggling Washington Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams.
Williams has allowed four-plus runs in five straight starts, entering with an unsightly 6.39 ERA.
The switch-hitting Raleigh will at least start the game from the left side, and left-handed batters have demolished Williams (.379 average, 1.018 OPS).
Williams will be followed by a Nats bullpen that has the worst ERA (6.22) in the National League.
Key stat: Raleigh is coming off a two-homer game and has cleared this line in five of his last seven contests.
Best MLB picks
Kikuchi under 17.5 outs (-113): Among my many misses last night was a fade on Kikuchi’s teammate and fellow left-hander Tyler Anderson, who worked six frames.
Anderson held his own against the powerful New York Yankees and Kikuchi is an objectively better pitcher who has the stuff to carve up a lineup when he’s on.
But he’s also wild, has a diminished K rate and faces the best left-handed hitting team in MLB.
New York has terrorized southpaws this season:
- No. 1 in wRC (145)
- No. 1 in SLG (.502)
- No. 1 homers (26)
- No. 1 in BB% (11.1%)
Asking any lefty to record six-plus innings against the Bronx Bombers is a big request, let alone one who has walked four batters in four of his last seven starts.
Over that stretch, Kikuchi is 2-5 against this line after clearing 17.5 outs in four straight outings to begin the season.
The Angels are off tomorrow and their bullpen has been used lightly considering they’re playing for the 13th straight day. So we shouldn’t expect the club to shy away from the group over fatigue concerns.
Schmidt over 6.5 Ks (+115): This is a big line but a number that’s worth biting on.
Three straight starters have cleared this vs. the Angels, including Schmidt’s teammates Ryan Yarbrough and Carlos Rodon.
- Schmidt is only 2-5 vs. this line but has a 65th-percentile K rate and a more impressive 79th-percentile whiff rate.
- The righty’s K/9 rate is not far off from 2024, when he ranked 30th among 157 pitchers in that category (minimum 80 innings pitched).
- Los Angeles strikes out more than any team in baseball.
The 29-year-old Schmidt struck out eight in a brief outing his last time out after going six innings in three straight starts.
He has struggled with control but should benefit against an Angels club that has the second-lowest walk rate in MLB.
MLB prop picks made at 1:30 p.m. ET on 05/28/2025.
Chris joined NorthStar Gaming from Covers.com where he was a publishing editor and wrote betting content. Before that, he was the sports editor at VICE Canada, worked for theScore and covered the Blue Jays for MLB.com. In addition to filling out the lineup card each day for the editorial team, Chris writes frequently himself, primarily on the NBA and MLB.