MLB Player Props for Tuesday, 9/2: Best Bets & Predictions Today
What kind of performances can we expect on Tuesday from Shota Imanaga, Nolan McLean, and James Wood? Follow along as our MLB betting analyst, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite MLB prop bets for Tuesday, September 2nd. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more MLB plays, by subscribing to the RotoGrinders Props & Pick’em package.
Happy Tuesday! Tonight’s MLB slate features 14 games, with a number of big-name pitchers scheduled to be on the bump – including Clayton Kershaw, Garrett Crochet, Bryan Woo, Shota Imanaga, Max Fried, Framber Valdez, Logan Webb, and more.
As always, be sure to monitor our MLB starting lineups page throughout the day, as unexpected changes in the batting order can result in value opportunities in the betting and DFS markets.
Another reminder – it’s not a bad beat, or unlucky, if you bet a player to hit a home run and his fly ball dies on the warning track because it’s 40 degrees with the wind blowing in! Before locking in any bets, use our MLB weather page, curated by Chief Meteorologist, Kevin Roth. There are countless edges to be found if we make the right reads on possible rain delays and great hitting weather, just to name a few. Taking a look at the weather report can save us from a bad bet that otherwise looks good on the surface.
Below, you can find my 3 picks for Tuesday, September 2nd!
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Best MLB Player Props for Tuesday, September 2
Here are my top player prop bets for today, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:40 PM ET on Tuesday, September 2nd:
- Shota Imanaga Over/Under 17.5 Outs Recorded
- Nolan McLean Over/Under 17.5 Outs Recorded
- James Wood Over/Under 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs
Shota Imanaga UNDER 17.5 Outs Recorded (+140, DraftKings)
DRAFTKINGSFrom a matchup perspective, this isn’t a terrible spot for Imanaga. The Braves haven’t been particularly good against LHP of late, ranking only 13th in wRC+, 11th in OPS, and 26th in ISO across the last 14 days. During that time, they’ve also been on the more aggressive side, which tends to lead to quick outs when they aren’t getting guys on base.
This is simply a fade of Imanaga’s recent luck. In August, he outperformed his 3.60 FIP by over a full run (2.65 ERA) thanks to a likely unsustainable .163 BABIP and 81.3% strand rate. Those numbers look even tougher to maintain when realizing that he allowed a higher barrel% and a higher average exit velocity than the league average pitcher in that span.
This is playable at +125 or better odds.
Nolan McLean UNDER 17.5 Outs Recorded (-115, Caesars)
CAESARSMcLean has been electric since making his MLB debut in mid-August, but there are some reasons to think he could struggle to get through 6 innings this evening. For one, nobody is going to maintain a 0.89 ERA and 0.69 WHIP for long – regardless of talent level. Part of his early success has been a result of some good luck, including a likely unsustainable .196 BABIP and 95.6% strand rate.
Tonight, he will be on the road for only the second time in his big-league career. Detroit’s offense has 6 left-handed bats in the lineup, which could work to run up McLean’s pitch count. Through 3 starts, he has a 10% walk rate across the platoon. Detroit isn’t a very aggressive offense either, so they aren’t likely to give McLean very many quick innings.
James Wood OVER 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBIs (-135, Caesars)
CAESARSWood has gone hitless in each of his last 2 games, but he has a good chance to snap out of that funk tonight against Adam Mazur, who owns a dreadful 8.44 FIP and 2.31 WHIP across the platoon in a limited sample size in 2024. Mazur’s career numbers are nearly just as bad – 7.23 FIP and 2.28 WHP across a slightly larger sample. Wood should have his chance to make a positive impact with the bat.
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