Home runs. Long balls. Bleacher reachers. Whatever you want to call them, people love watching and betting on home run props during baseball games. So much so, we’ve got a whole article dedicated to just that.
Here are my top three home run prop picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday’s packed World Baseball Classic slate: Cal Raleigh, Ketel Marte and Heliot Ramos.
Top World Baseball Classic Home Run Props
Cal Raleigh 1+ Home Run (+120)
The USA is going to hit some home runs tonight. We all know this. The Americans are favored by 9.5 runs and they’re going up against a Brazilian squad that has literal high schoolers on its pitching staff. That said, Brazil’s starter, Bo Takahashi, isn’t a joke. The 28-year-old spent parts of seven seasons in affiliated ball, even tossing 89.0 innings in Triple-A for the Louisville Bats in 2021. Takahashi has since pitched in Japan for the Saitama Seibu Lions over the past four years. All that said, he and his teammates are about to face one of the most dangerous lineups ever assembled. There’s no shortage of USA players to choose from when it comes to home runs props, but I’ve settled on Cal Raleigh as my No. 1 pick. The backstop hit 60 homers in 2025 with a 99th percentile barrel rate (19.5%). Raleigh’s also a switch-hitter, which could come in handy in a contest where Brazil might have to go to its bullpen early and often.
Ketel Marte 1+ Home Run (+270)
Another veteran starter for an underdog nation at this tournament. Another lineup that is constructed entirely of MLB All-Stars. Good luck to Ronald Medrano, who has mostly been pitching professionally in Mexico after brief stints in the Cardinals’ and Royals’ minor league systems. Good luck to all the relievers that follow Medrano in Nicaragua’s overmatched bullpen. I’ve gravitated towards another switch-hitter in these bizarre circumstances, as few are as fearsome from both sides of the plate as Ketel Marte. In fact, since the beginning of 2024, Marte possesses a .251 ISO, which is the seventh-highest qualified mark in MLB. Specific to 2025, Marte owned a 97th percentile expected wOBA (.390) and a 94th percentile expected slugging rate (.534). In the plainest terms, Marte is one of the best hitters on the planet. That’s why he’s hitting second in a lineup as stacked as the Dominican Republic’s is.
Heliot Ramos 1+ Home Run (+475)
Finally, a matchup with a little more intrigue. A fair fight, if you will. Pool A at the 2026 World Baseball Classic will likely be defined by how balanced it is, and look no further than a pitching matchup between Jose Quintana and Seth Lugo. Still, I do think it’s safe to say that Puerto Rico’s lineup, even with all the well documented insurance issues, has a little more home run pop than Colombia’s. Puerto Rico also has more MLB depth in its bullpen, which will matter in the later stages of this tilt. There’s two right-handed bats that I’d consider for a home run prop in this matchup with the left-handed Quintana: Heliot Ramos and Nolan Arenado (+500). The latter does have a pair of long balls off Quintana in their respective careers, yet in total, Arenado is just 3-for-26 (.115) against the southpaw. Meanwhile, Ramos is slashing .300/.369/.549 with a .249 ISO versus LHPs since the beginning of 2024. This game will be in Puerto Rico, as well, far away from the hitter’s nightmare that is Oracle Park — Ramos’ usual home stadium.
