You like strikeouts. I like strikeouts.
You like prop bets. I like prop bets.
This all just makes so much sense. Let’s break down a couple of my favorite strikeout props on the DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s loaded MLB slate.
Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins
David Festa 6+ Strikeouts (-125)
Festa is someone who has never struggled to rack up strikeouts throughout his time in the minors, and that success has carried over to his brief time at the MLB level. Across 16 appearances and 73.1 innings with the Twins, Festa has collected 87 strikeouts, good for a career strikeout rate of 27.6%. It’s obviously a small sample, but for some context, that figure is hovering right around the career rates of both Tarik Skubal (27.9%) and Joe Ryan (27.3%). That’s some pretty nice company.
Festa will make his third start of 2025 on Wednesday against the White Sox, who as you might have suspected, have struggled to do much with the bats so far this season. Across specifically the past two weeks, Chicago sits second in baseball in chase rate (35.2%) and fourth in overall strikeout rate (25.1%). If Festa can work into the sixth in this contest — something he’s yet to do in April — six strikeouts should be a lock.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Angels
Andrew Heaney 6+ Strikeouts (+125)
In a season where not much has gone right, Andrew Heaney has been a sliver-lining for the Pirates. The 33-year-old has been masterful in his first four starts of 2025, maintaining a 2.13 ERA and a 2.75 FIP over 25.1 innings of work. Are there a couple red flags? Of course. Mainly the fact that age has caught up to the southpaw and has caused Heaney’s average fastball velocity to dip. That’s meant fewer whiffs, yet Heaney’s still managed to clear this prop in two of his last three outings. He’s also managed more than a strikeout per inning for his whole career, so it’s not like Heaney doesn’t know how to generate swings and misses.
Still, the elephant in the room is the presence of the Angels, who sport MLB’s second-highest strikeout rate (29.2%) and its third-highest swinging strike rate (12.5%) over the last 14 days. Even Mike Trout has struck out in 27.7% of his 94 plate appearances this season. The strikeout woes permeate throughout this entire lineup and I’d expect a savvy veteran like Heaney to take advantage.
