The New York Yankees can punch their ticket to the World Series with a win over the Cleveland Guardians today.
The pregame narrative: Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have been great in this series and I’m taking prop picks on all three.
Check out my Yankees vs. Guardians prop picks for Game 5 of their ALCS matchup on Oct. 19.
Yankees vs. Guardians prop picks
MLB markets: Click Here | MLB stats: Click Here
Best bet: Soto over 0.5 runs (-130)
Soto has been effective this series, scoring four runs in four games. He also has four hits and two home runs but his three walks are a major reason I’m opting for his runs prop over his total bases prop.
The slugger is batting .286 in the playoffs but is reaching base at a .417 clip. Judge’s emergence in this series led Soto to score vital runs for his squad.
Additionally, the Yankees outfielder has five career at-bats against Guardians starter Tanner Bibee and reached base four times (two hits, two walks).
The value on his run prop is just too good to pass up.
Key stat: Soto scored 68 runs in 81 road games this season.
Quick picks
Judge over 0.5 runs (-120): After starting the postseason with one hit in three games, Judge has come alive.
He has scored in five straight games and is putting the ‘not a playoff performer’ narrative to rest.
Judge has relied on a home run to drive himself home in two games but that is not unusual for the major’s HR leader (58) this season.
The slugger made just one career plate appearance against Bibee and grounded out, but that very small sample size doesn’t deter me from backing MLB’s best offensive player.
Stanton over 0.5 RBI (+140): Stanton has been cleaning up for the Yankees.
The designated hitter has driven in five runs this series and nine overall in the playoffs. That includes a three-run blast in yesterday’s game that helped New York win, 8-6.
Stanton is 6-2 against this line in the playoffs so the risk is worth it here at nice plus-money odds.
Picks made at 10:06 a.m. ET 10/19/2024.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.