Monday starts off another full work week of baseball with a fully stacked slate of options on the board, mostly in the evening. Only four teams have an off-day to start the week, so 26 teams are on the scoreboard this Monday. Let’s take a look at the matchups, environments and current form of a few players who make strong options for home run props for Monday night on DraftKings Sportsbook.
By their nature, home run props are long-shot plays, but when a player you’ve selected goes yard, it’s an awesome event to celebrate that can also build your bankroll quickly. Even the best power hitters are long-shot plays to homer on any single day, though, so it’s important not to be too aggressive. By looking at the matchups, current form, game environment and history, some players stand out as good options. You can play these props individually or choose to combine them in parlay or round robin formats to maximize the potential payout.
Here are my top three home run prop picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for Monday’s matchups: Jordan Walker, Munetaka Murakami and TJ Rumfield.
Top MLB Home Run Props
Jordan Walker 1+ Home Run (+495)
The Cardinals avoided a sweep in Detroit on Sunday Night Baseball and will head to Washington on Monday to start a series with the Nats. Zack Littell will get the start for Washington, and that makes the Cardinals a good place to go shopping for home run props. Littell allowed 36 home runs in 32 starts for the Rays and Reds last year, and he gave up two more dingers in his first start this season. Last year, righties hit 20 of the 36 homers he surrendered, posting a .455 SLG and .318 wOBA in the splits.
Walker has been one of the best righties in the Cardinals’ lineup this season, and he looks like he may be able to deliver on the promise he’s flashed over the last few seasons. He has two homers in his first nine games this season with an impressive 71.4% hard-hit rate and 19.0% barrel rate. Walker is 9-for-30 (.300) on the year with a .417 wOBA. His swing decisions have been much better this year, and he’s making great contact as a result. The conditions should be much more homer-friendly in Washington than they were in Detroit. The game-time forecast is for temperatures just over 60 and winds blowing left to right. Walker showed he can smash it through the cold and wind in Detroit with this blast on Saturday:
Munetaka Murakami 1+ Home Run (+396)
The White Sox have gotten a great start from offseason addition Munetaka Murakami, who has four homers in his first nine games in the majors.
The 26-year-old slugged 245 homers over the last seven seasons in Japan, and his power has translated well so far to the MLB. He has a 57.9% hard-hit rate and 21.1% barrel rate in his first nine games, and he has at least one hard-hit ball in all but one game this season.
On Monday, he’ll face the Orioles in Chicago, and Baltimore will turn to righty Albert Suarez instead of lefty Cade Povich, who was expected to start but worked Sunday in relief instead. Suarez was knocked around with a 7.59 ERA and 1.97 WHIP across 10 2/3 innings this spring training. The weather conditions should be favorable for Murakami against Suarez, with the wind blowing out to left-center, even though the temperatures will be chilly at around 40 degrees. The wind in Chicago could help Murakami get his fifth blast of the season on Monday, although he’s proven he doesn’t need much assistance.
T.J. Rumfield 1+ Home Run (+536)
Getting a slugger at Coors Field at over 5:1 is great value to consider for Monday’s home run props. Rumfield hit his second homer of the season on Sunday afternoon, taking Taijuan Walker deep in the first inning.
Rumfield joined the Rockies in spring training via trade from the Yankees, and he earned a starting spot with a big Cactus League. In 23 games, he hit five homers with a .389 wOBA and only struck out twice in 64 plate appearances.
In the regular season, he is 10-for-29 (.345) with a double, two homers, and a .437 wOBA. He gets a good matchup on Monday night against Astros righty Cody Bolton, who will be making his first MLB start after pitching out of the bullpen for the Pirates, Mariners, Guardians, and Astros in the last four seasons. He has allowed seven homers over his 36 games in the majors, and lefties have a .463 SLG and .378 wOBA against him in his career.
Rumfield has plenty of power to crush another homer at Coors, and he is a great value option in Monday’s home run props.
