The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs will be back on March 19 for the second and last game of the Tokyo Series. While the rest of the MLB is in America playing spring games, these two are in Japan for a regular season series.
Home run prop bets are becoming popular among sports bettors and fans. It's difficult to predict who will or won't go deep, but it can be rewarding.
In the season opener, no player hit a home run, so they're due for some in Game 2. Here's who has the best odds to do just that when the two teams take the field again.
Note: All odds are from Draft Kings. They are subject to change before the game's first pitch at 6:10 am EST on March 19.
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Best MLB home run picks for March 19
3) Kyle Tucker: +500
Last season, Kyle Tucker hit 23 home runs in 78 games. If he played a full 162 games, he would've hit somewhere around 48 home runs and ranked among the league leaders. That certainly makes him the Chicago Cubs' most likely home run threat today.
He's facing Roki Sasaki in his MLB debut in his home country, which could lead to some nerves. In Spring Training, Sasaki has yet to allow a home run. He also only allowed a 2.5% fly ball home run rate last year, so he doesn't typically yield home runs. However, there is almost certainly a "Welcome to the MLB" moment in store for Sasaki, and Tucker can absolutely provide that.
2) Teoscar Hernandez: +450
Teoscar Hernandez had more than 30 home runs last year. He also won the Home Run Derby, so he's one of the better power hitters in baseball. Certainly, he is among the best picks today given that there are only two teams active.
Hernandez is facing Justin Steele of the Cubs today. Steele had an 8.7% flyball home run rate last year, but that's surged to 36.4% in spring training. The ball is flying off of the bat when Steele throws it lately, so look for the Dodgers, and Hernandez, to crush some balls out of the park today.
1) Shohei Ohtani: +260
Whenever Shohei Ohtani is in the lineup, he's one of the best bets to hit a home run on any day. Even when every other MLB team is in action, the odds are usually much stronger for Ohtani than everyone else.
Ohtani did not homer in his first game in Japan, so he's due for one in his last. This is ostensibly his final chance to homer as an MLB player in front of his home fans, so expect him to come out swinging. He hit 53 home runs last year.
