It's the unofficial last day of summer. Many have returned to school and others who haven't will hear the bells ring tomorrow morning. By the end of the week, schedules are back in full-swing and football season will be kicked off, too. Labor Day signals a changing of the guard, especially in baseball. It's a departure from relaxing on the beach, hanging out by the pool, and having no care in the world. In many ways, it's the return of reality. And the stretch run of the 2023 season will be where contenders emerge, pretenders fade, dreams are crushed, and others become reality.
While baseball typically takes a back seat to football in September, that won't stop some of the sport's best from helping us cash our wagers in between those gridiron game days. To start the week off in style, we head to SuperDraft for, as usual, our four favorite picks of the night — holiday edition.
Sign up for SuperDraft to pick your favorite over/unders via SuperDraft's Fantasy Props feature, bringing you closer to the action while having a chance to win cash prizes. Win 3X the amount wagered if your two-legged player prop parlay hits, and watch your potential payout rise with each additional leg you pile onto your parlay.
Below, we'll break down four of our favorite player props on SuperDraft for Monday night's MLB slate. Users don't necessarily have to parlay all four picks together, though. Instead, you could make separate two-legged parlays to increase your win probability or attempt to hit it big if all four picks come through.
Best MLB prop bets today: SuperDraft player prop picks for Monday 9/4
*10x potential payout if users parlay all four correct picks
Trea Turner, SS, Phillies @ Padres - OVER 1.5 bases
Philadelphia fans are known for being tough on their teams -- especially the players that make the most money. Maybe Turner serves as an example of why they should show a little more love in a city nicknamed for that. Since the Phillies faithful at Citizens Bank Park celebrated their high-priced shortstop, he's been tearing the cover off the ball, slashing .364/.398/.754 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs in 27 games.
Those are much better numbers than before his hot streak (.235/.290/.368 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in 107 games). It's a remarkable turnaround and has been quite profitable for bettors that hopped on the bandwagon. Turner has hit for at least two bases in his past six games and nine of his past 10. Turner finished with just two bases in only two of his nine contests, too. Take the OVER with confidence, especially with the Padres starting Rich Hill, a pitcher against whom Turner has had success in the past.
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Nick Castellanos, OF, Phillies @ Padres - OVER 0.5 singles
The Phillies offense is on fire right now, and their recent stretch breeds plenty of opportunity to find some winners. Castellanos hasn't joined the hit parades like some others in the Philadelphia lineup, but we're still going to rely on him tonight. The Phillies outfielder has only hit a single in two of his past five games, making for a questionable pick on the surface.
However, like Turner, Castellanos should benefit from a matchup with the lefty Hill on the mound in San Diego. Castellanos posts better numbers facing lefthanded pitching, slashing .320/.358/.523 against them as opposed to .255/.290/.436 with righties. He's 1-for-3 against Hill in 2023 with a single, something we expect to get from him in southern California tonight.
Willy Adames, SS, Brewers @ Pirates - UNDER 0.5 singles
After a big first year in Milwaukee, Adames has taken a step back in 2023. His numbers are down across the board, posting only a .212/.296/.384 line this season after .238/.298/.458 in '22. Factor in that he's been unable to hit a single in each of the past five games and in only four of 10 against the Pirates, and you have a recipe for an under.
Adames is a player that can get hot at any time, but he hasn't been lately and we'll bet on that continuing tonight.
Shohei Ohtani, DH, Angels vs. Orioles - OVER 7.5 fantasy points
Ohtani's devastating elbow injury — a torn UCL that would keep him from pitching for at least the remainder of the 2023 season — was revealed on Aug. 23. He has continued to hit, but he notably hasn't hit a home run since that day. For someone like Ohtani, who has 44 home runs on the season, it's almost unheard of. Is the injury hindering his production at the plate? Unless you're a doctor, a member of the Angels organization, or Ohtani himself, there's no way of knowing.
Regardless, this streak won't last forever. Part of the problem has been Ohtani's walks skyrocketing since the injury. In the 10 games since his last home run, the two-way star has walked 15 times, with five of them being intentional. On Monday night, Ohtani gets a matchup against the Orioles' Grayson Rodriguez, someone he's batting 1.000 against with a home run in two at-bats. It's a small sample size, but we don't envision the Orioles staff pitching around Ohtani as Oakland did over the weekend. Still, we only need eight fantasy points. A home run gets it done with one swing, but walks and other hits count, too. With that in mind, the Angels star shouldn't have too much of a problem getting it done in the City of Angels.
