Tucker, Perez Best American League Player Props August 30
There’s value on today’s MLB slate, with multiple player props to target in the American League.
Below, you can find some of tonight’s best to target on the MLB slate from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Kyle Tucker (Astros) to Hit a Home Run (+400)The Houston Astros continue to lead the American League as the number one seed, and there should be multiple avenues to target them with tonight that present some value. Houston has dominated their opponent, the Texas Rangers, in 2022, and a few batters have hit well off tonight’s starting pitcher, Dane Dunning.
The Texas right-hander has been fine in their rotation, but it’s hard to find a lot of success against an Astros lineup that is amongst the scariest in all of baseball. One of their hitters that’s been able to generate some success off him is outfielder Kyle Tucker, who continues to post big numbers in the middle of their lineup. Tucker has three hits and one home run in eight at-bats against Dunning, and he’s been slowly finding his swing again of late, which bodes well for him in this meeting. With a juicy matchup on tap for Tucker and company, targeting him to hit a home run tonight presents some great value at +400.
Salvador Perez (Royals) to Hit a Home Run (+255)Offense hasn’t been something for the Kansas City Royals that’s come with much consistency in 2022. However, that shouldn’t stop us from targeting some players with elite matchups like tonight. The Royals will be going up against the struggling Chicago White Sox, sending a pitcher to the bump multiple Kansas City batters have notoriously hit well.
Chicago is expected to start right-hander Lucas Giolito, and he’s been far from consistent despite having a very good arsenal of pitches. Giolito has a 5.14 ERA in 2022, and that’s not something you should have confidence in if you’re the White Sox. One of the Royals batters that’s found consistent success off the right-hander has been their catcher Salvador Perez.
The numbers might not necessarily be there for Perez right now, but he’s still mashed 18 home runs and clearly has that nice power stroke. In addition, Perez has dominated Giolito in their history, hitting .357 in 28 at-bats, with three home runs and seven RBI. Perez is currently listed at +255 to homer tonight, and there’s definite value in those odds.
Framber Valdez (Astros) to Record 7+ Strikeouts (-104)The Astros offense has been a selling point for this team, but you can’t forget about some of the dominant arms that made an impact in their rotation, either. You can make a case that two of their starting pitchers have had Cy Young quality seasons, and one of those arms is set to take the mound tonight in Framber Valdez.
Valdez has posted flashy numbers this season, owning a 13-4 record, paired with a 2.65 ERA and 142 strikeouts. Those numbers are great at face value, but they become even better when you look at the success he’s formulated against tonight’s opponent, the Rangers. Valdez has already made three starts against Texas this year and has an impeccable 0.45 ERA and 20 strikeouts in those appearances.
As a result, looking towards one of his alternate strikeout props tonight makes a lot of sense. The number that likely provides the most value here is for him to K seven or more batters, which is currently priced at -104. With Valdez striking out seven or more in his last two starts against Texas, this feels like a very viable option to target on tonight’s board.
