Monday MLB home run props: Can Judge make it six straight?
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After a slow start for bats this year, home runs are back in vogue, and Monday's slate offers the perfect opportunity for some long balls against so-so pitching. Here are Monday's best bets to leave the yard.
Aaron Judge, Yankees (+280)
It may seem like low-hanging fruit, but what would a daily home-run preview be without Judge, who's homered in five straight games and hit two dingers Sunday? It's not fluky, either - he leads the league in average exit velocity (98.3 mph), and his six home runs since Wednesday averaged 420 feet with a 30-degree launch angle and 106.3-mph exit velocity. So yeah, he's been cooking.
His next target will be Jake Arrieta. The Phillies veteran is making his first start of 2020 after allowing 1.4 home runs per nine innings a year ago, his worst mark in nearly a decade. It's a short price, but this is a no-brainer until Judge proves otherwise.
Miguel Sano, Twins (+280)
This might be the best matchup for any hitter in Monday's slate. In eight at-bats against Pirates lefty Derek Holland, Twins slugger Sano has turned in two homers with a 2.750 OPS, and he tagged Carlos Carrasco with two taters Saturday after a slow start to the season.
Holland has historically been hit as hard as anyone in the league, and his 93.1-mph exit velocity in his lone start this year would be the highest of his career. A slumping Keston Hiura uncorked a 421-foot bomb off Holland on Tuesday, and Sano is primed to do the same Monday.
Corey Seager, Dodgers (+500)
Seager flew under the radar this offseason in a loaded Dodgers lineup, but he's already hit three homers this year and leads the majors in barrels (nine) and balls hit at least 95 mph (21). It's a marvel he only turned three of those into four-baggers.
Chris Paddack turned heads as a rookie last year with the Padres, but he still allowed a dismal 1.5 homers per nine innings, and he ranked in the bottom 10 in hard-hit rate (42.1%) and fly-ball rate (42.3%), per FanGraphs. Expect Seager to get the best of him.
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.