Best MLB strikeout bets: A trio of K props for Opening Day

We’re back, baby! Opening Day for the 2024 MLB season is finally here, which means strikeout props are back in our lives for the next eight months. Let’s kick off the year with our three favorite strikeout props for Opening Day. 

Nestor Cortes over 4.5 Ks (+110 FanDuel)

Yankees vs. Astros, 4:10 p.m. ET

Since we don’t have any regular-season stats to go off yet, we have to look at how pitchers fared in spring training. Cortes struggled in the preseason, giving up 17 hits and nine earned runs in just 10.0 innings of work, but he also struck out 13 batters. The New York Yankees left-hander averaged 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings last season, and he went over 4.5 Ks in nine of his 12 starts. The Houston Astros aren’t an easy lineup to crack, but Cortes may need to last only four innings to hit this over because of his high strikeout rate. 

Tarik Skubal over 6.5 Ks (-110 DraftKings)

Tigers vs. White Sox, 4:10 p.m. ET

There’s a ton of hype surrounding Skubal this year, and for good reason. The Detroit Tigers left-hander struck out 11.4 batters per nine innings last season, which was the fourth-best mark in MLB among starters. Skubal kept the momentum rolling into spring training, too. He struck out 19 batters and gave up only four earned runs in 14.0 innings this spring. We think the Skubal gets off to a hot start against a Chicago White Sox lineup that recorded a 27.4 percent strikeout rate against lefties last season. 

Miles Mikolas under 3.5 Ks (-105 DK)

Cardinals vs. Dodgers, 4:10 p.m ET

Mikolas has never been a strikeout-dependent pitcher. The St. Louis Cardinals right-hander struck out just 6.1 batters per nine innings last season, and he recorded just 15 Ks in 21.0 innings of work in the preseason. Now he has to open the 2024 season against a loaded Los Angeles Dodgers lineup that put up 16 total runs and only 16 strikeouts in its two-game series against the San Diego Padres in Seoul. We like the under here.