Daily Dinger: Best MLB Home Run Picks Today (Juan Soto Primed for Home Run in Yankees Postseason Debut)

Reed Wallach | Oct 5, 2024

Sep 27, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) hits a single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

It's the first full slate of the Divisional Series in the 2024 MLB Playoffs!

With four postseason games on deck, let's key in on who is going yard in the respective Game 1, including Yankees lefty slugger Juan Soto, who has an advantageous set up in the opening game of the team's series agianst the Royals.

Here's three of my favorite home run prop bets on Game 1 Saturday.

Best MLB Home Run Prop Bets for Saturday, October 5th

• Nick Castellanos (+560)
• Juan Soto (+300)
• Jackson Merrill (+500)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Nick Castellanos (+560)

Castellanos has played well against the Mets all season, hitting .250 with an OPS of .385 and two home runs in 13 games. 

While Kodai Senga brings in a ton of volatility to this game, making his second start of the season in Saturday’s NLDS opener, I’ll take the shot on Castellanos to catch either him or a Mets bullpen that has been used heavily this week. 

This game may be a low scoring affair, but Castellanos is my favorite choice of the Phillies hitters. 

Juan Soto (+300)

Royals starter Michael Wacha has had far more struggles against lefties relative to righties, allowing one more home run and six more hits against 19 more batters. 

He’ll face Juan Soto at Yankee Stadium, the headline southpaw in the Bronx Bombers lineup. Among the best hitters in the sport, Soto is hitting .293 with an OPS of .999 and 28 home runs against righty pitchers. 

Soto is a postseason performer, hitting .262 with seven home runs and 21 RBI’s in 29 games, I think he sets the tone on Saturday night. 

Jackson Merrill (+500)

The rookie sensation started his postseason career in style in the pair of wins against the Braves in the Wild Card round, hitting three-for-seven with two runs batted in. Merrill crushed a triple to the deepest part of the ballpark in Game 2, just missing a homer. 

I like this set up for him on Saturday against what could be a glorified bullpen game for the Dodgers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto hasn’t pitched more than five innings since returning from injury and has allowed six earned runs in four starts. 

If Yamamoto gets pulled, there will be more variance in play for the NL Rookie of the Year candidate to get a hold of one. 

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33

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