Welcome to another Friday slate of Major League Baseball action as we ring in the weekend with some MLB player props and MLB picks on Underdog Fantasy. We have all 30 MLB teams in action today with plenty of ways to go with MLB betting picks and MLB props. Our top MLB picks to target on Underdog Fantasy tonight feature some MLB strikeout props for San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish and Texas Rangers pitcher Martin Perez. Check out these free MLB player props and MLB daily picks on Underdog Fantasy as you enter “Pick'Em” contests tonight. Don't forget to check out the latest MLB weather report and the confirmed MLB lineups when placing those MLB betting picks. Plus, the MLB daily projections and MLB Batter vs Pitcher page will help you find the best matchups for MLB player props and MLB DFS lineups. Let's dive into the top MLB player picks on Underdog Fantasy for Friday, June 16th.

 

MLB Underdog Fantasy Top Picks June 16

Martin Perez, Texas Rangers – UNDER 3.5 Strikeouts

Banking on a starting pitcher to finish with three or fewer strikeouts is a risky proposition in 2023, but the numbers tell us to do it tonight with Martin Perez. The Texas Rangers lefthander has never been a big strikeout pitcher over his career with a K rate no higher than 20.6% (last year). He’s down to a 16.1% strikeout rate this season with only 51 punchouts in 71.1 innings pitched. Perez has gone under 3.5 K’s in seven of 13 starts this season, but he’s been under in six of his past eight outings. Tonight, he’ll face a Toronto Blue Jays lineup that’s not striking out a ton vs left-handed pitching. The Jays have just a 17.4% K rate vs lefties this season, the second-best in the majors and barely trailing the Washington Nationals. Over the past two weeks, Toronto’s strikeout rate vs southpaws is down to 14.9%. Plus, the Blue Jays are a tough matchup overall for lefties with a .345 wOBA, 14.8% walk rate, and 16.4% K rate over the past three weeks of games. To make matters worse, the Jays have a few key hitters with good BvP numbers vs Perez, like Whit Merrifield (.357 BA), Matt Chapman (.438), and George Springer (.296). 

Yu Darvish, San Diego Padres – OVER 6.5 Strikeouts

It’s been an up-and-down season for Yu Darvish with a 4.30 ERA that would be the second-worst of his MLB career. Despite some shaky first-half outings, Darvish still has the ability to rack up strikeouts in the right spots. Let’s bank on that tonight in an interesting matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. First off, Darvish is at home where he boasts a strong 2.68 ERA and 45:10 K:BB ratio in six starts spanning 37 innings. He’s pitching a lot better in San Diego than on the road, where he has a 6.19 ERA and 29:12 K:BB ratio in six starts and 32 innings. Darvish has gone over 6.5 K’s in three of his last five home starts and struck out six in the two others. In the games that he’s gone over, we’ve seen K totals of nine, nine, and 12. The Rays are admittedly a tougher matchup than most, but there are some reasons for optimism. Tampa has a 24.4% K rate vs righties over the past two weeks (8th-worst in MLB) and the offense has just a .299 wOBA on the road over the past month. The Rays have been a league-average offense vs right-handed pitching over the past couple of weeks and we shouldn’t be deterred from Darvish doing his thing. 

 

MLB Best Bets

If you are looking for some MLB Best Bets today, check out our MLB betting picks for today's slate of games.

For those who play MLB DFS, go All-Pro with Fantasy Alarm and save 50% off the first six months with promo code MLB50. By going All-Pro you get access to ALL DFS content and premium discord access for just $19.98 over the first sixth months! 

Related MLB Links: