If you have been waiting for warmer weather to start paying attention to the Detroit Tigers, you may not be aware of the fact that they have not been able to hit the baseball much this season.
http://gty.im/1237345321
In fact, the Tigers have scored just 72 runs so far this season which is only ahead of the Kansas City Royals, who have scored 70.
But never fear, Detroit Lions DL Alim McNeill wants to save the day!
In case you did not know, McNeil was (and apparently still is) a solid baseball player who had some pop in his bat.
On Thursday, McNeill took to Twitter to remind the Tigers that he still has his swing.
Check it out.
I still got this swing btw @tigers https://t.co/0qtHuSbXy4
— Alim McNeill (@AlimMcneill) May 5, 2022
Obviously, McNeill is just playing around, but, to be honest, he could not do too much worse than a few of the players in the current Tigers lineup!
3 MLB Prop Bets to Target on Thursday 5/5/22
Player props can be useful in a variety of ways — from taking advantage of them straight up (to the tune of cold hard cash) to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.
Utilizing our projections as a guide and looking at the odds provided at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are some spots where you can find value today in the prop-betting market.
Please note that betting lines and our game projections may change throughout the day after this article is published. Also, the weather may be an issue in some locations.
Manny Machado To Hit a Home Run (+385)
One of the hottest hitters in the league has a great matchup for a home run tonight.
That hitter would be Manny Machado, who is off to a great start this season and has five home runs to his name so far. He will be going up against Jesus Luzardo, who struggled last year versus right-handed hitters, allowing a .389 wOBA, 5.22 xFIP, 2.26 HR/9, 45.2% fly-ball rate, and 39.1% hard-contact rate. Those are some dangerous numbers to be sporting against a powerful hitter such as Machado.
Last season, Machado held a .179 ISO, 118 wRC+, 48.7% fly-ball rate, and 33.9% hard-contact rate versus left-handed pitchers. With his hot start this year, he's carrying a 47.8% hard-contact rate, 274 wRC+, and .375 ISO in the same split. The power is there for Machado, and he has a great matchup to hit one over the fence tonight.
Shane McClanahan Over 6.5 Strikeouts (+114)
When it comes to strikeouts, Shane McClanahan has been absolutely elite this season.
Through five starts, McClanahan is boasting a 39.3% strikeout rate, which is not just the highest of any pitcher on tonight's slate — it's the highest of any qualified pitcher in the entire league. He's posted 7 strikeouts or more in all five of his starts, including one up at 9 strikeouts and another at 11 strikeouts. McClanahan's potential is massive on any given night, and getting plus money on over 6.5 strikeouts is the spot to go.
He will be taking on the Seattle Mariners, who have a 21.5% strikeout rate versus left-handed pitchers, which is 22nd in the league. While that may not be super high, McClanahan posted over 6.5 strikeouts in two other matchups versus teams who were also in the bottom half of the league in strikeout rate versus left-handed pitchers. His ability is undeniable, so I'll also look to a sprinkle on eight-plus strikeouts at +210 and nine-plus strikeouts at +400.
