MLB Today’s Best Bets for April 23: Home Run Picks & Top Player Props

Written By Justin Carlucci | Published at April 23, 2026

Mar 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

We had a really nice Wednesday — Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson both went yard — and now we're back hunting for the best MLB bets today on Thursday, April 23. We've got a pair of pitcher props and more home run picks today on the agenda. Let's dive into the picks!

Best MLB Bets Today: Player Props for April 23

Cam Schlittler over 16.5 pitching spearheads my list of best MLB bets today at -117 on DraftKings Sportsbook. There's a lot working in his favor tonight in his return to Massachusetts.

The pitch count progression is the foundation here. Schlittler was finally ramped up to a season-high 93 pitches in his last outing against Kansas City. His workload has climbed incrementally across each of his five starts this season. That trajectory points toward at least five-and-two-thirds innings tonight.

His Baseball Savant page backs up the confidence — his strikeout percentage sits in the 93rd percentile, his chase rate in the 98th percentile, and his whiff rate in the 84th percentile. The New York Yankees may have a homegrown pitching gem on their hands.

The Red Sox have made this matchup even cleaner. Boston ranks 27th in weighted runs created plus against right-handed pitchers in 2026 and checks in with the eighth-highest strikeout rate in baseball vs. RHP.

Morale seems low in Boston right now. First pitch temperatures in the mid-50s give a slight nudge to pitchers as well. Max Fried dominated this same Red Sox lineup on Wednesday, and Schlittler should pick up right where that left off.

Best Bet: Cam Schlittler Over 16.5 Pitching Outs DraftKings, -117

MLB Player Props Today: Bubba Chandler Under 4.5 Strikeouts

Bubba Chandler under 4.5 strikeouts is one of my top MLB player props today at +116, and the plus money is the real value here.

Chandler was a winning prop for us five days ago, cruising through six innings of three-hit ball against Tampa Bay — and striking out just three. That's very on brand. He's a flamethrower with a fastball velocity in the 98th percentile and a sky-high ceiling, but he's simply not a true swing-and-miss pitcher at the MLB level yet.

Chandler owns just a 20% strikeout rate and sits right at league average in whiff percentage. Per FanGraphs, his xERA ranks in just the 37th percentile — the results have been excellent, but the underlying profile suggests some luck is baked in.

The St. Louis Cardinals come in with the 12th-highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching at 23%. The gap between 23% and the league-average cluster around 22% is razor-thin, and numbers are bunched tightly in that range.

This isn't a lineup that will totally bail Chandler out with free strikeouts. At plus money on a pitcher who just fanned three in his last start, this is one of the better-priced MLB player props today.

Best Bet: Bubba Chandler Under 4.5 Strikeouts DraftKings, +116

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Home Run Picks Today: Drake Baldwin

For my MLB home run bets today, I'm going back to Nationals Park and Drake Baldwin at +520 on FanDuel Sportsbook. Yes, he just went yard yesterday, and I'm riding him again.

Nationals' starter Cade Cavalli hasn't allowed a home run this season and carries a very low barrel rate, which is why Baldwin's price is inflated. But Cavalli isn't exactly a bat-misser, and his ground-ball rate sits right around league average — meaning balls are getting hit in the air.

At 75+ degrees in Washington, that's meaningful. The Nationals' bullpen remains a disaster. They own the fifth-highest ERA and tied for a league-high 22 home runs allowed in 2026. Baldwin is scorching the earth right now, the conditions are great, and you're getting a generous number. I'll take the plus-500 shot on a very hot bat.

Best Bet: Drake Baldwin to Hit a Home Run FanDuel, +520

That does it for my MLB best bets today. Good luck!

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