MLB picks today: Best player prop bets for Tuesday, May 16

After a travel day on Monday, we're back with a full 15-game MLB slate on Tuesday, May 16, with a wide range of prop bets you can target – including one involving a future Hall of Famer. Here are our three favorite plays for today's action.

MLB player prop bets: Tuesday, May 16

We backed the legendary Los Angeles Dodgers lefty in a similar spot last time out against the Milwaukee Brewers, and Kershaw responded with seven innings of one-run ball while punching out eight. The Brewers hold the lowest team OPS in baseball against left-handers. The second-lowest? None other than the Minnesota Twins, Kershaw's opponent on Tuesday night. You can probably see where this is going.

Minnesota has slashed a paltry .204/.277/.362 against southpaws this season, with sluggers like Joey Gallo, Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach holding heavy platoon splits in their careers. Now the Twins have to face arguably the greatest lefty of all-time, who's allowed two or more runs in just three of his eight starts this season. With L.A.'s bullpen in need of a break after last night's extra-innings affair, expect Kershaw to come through once again.

Thanks in large part to a splitter that boasts a bananas 48.5% whiff rate, Gausman has been one of the league's premier strikeout artists this season, with a K rate that ranks in the 93rd percentile. He's cleared this number in six of his eight starts so far, and he's never failed to hit it in any of his four outings against the New York Yankees since coming to the Toronto Blue Jays last season. (That includes a three-hit, 11-K masterpiece against the New York Yankees back in late April.) Gausman will get New York again on Tuesday night, and while the Yankees' lineup has begun to show signs of life over the last few days, every bit of history is on the righty's side here.

Semien has been scorching the ball of late, with a three-hit attack on Monday night raising his OPS to .981 since the calendar turned to May. He'll be facing Atlanta Braves rookie Jared Shuster on Tuesday night, and while the southpaw has struggled against just about everyone in his short MLB career – with an 8.31 ERA over his first two starts – the problems have been particularly acute against right-handed hitters. Righties are torching Shuster to the tune of a 1.066 OPS so far this year, and Semien should have no problem getting on base all night.

  
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