A Friday night in Miami can be an excellent time. However, this Friday will mark the MLB debut of Marlins top prospect Eury Perez. The 20-year old right-hander is the No. 1 prospect in the Marlins' organization and the No. 10 prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 List. He has the stuff to light it up in his debut.
There may be a pair of high-scoring games in Detroit and Boston. The Mariners are in the Motor City to battle the Tigers with Marco Gonzales opposing Matthew Boyd. That should be good news for J.P. Crawford and Javier Baez.
The Cardinals will be in Boston to battle the Red Sox. Adam Wainwright will be making his second start against James Paxton and the total is 11. There are many hitters in good spots tonight, however I am targeting Alex Verdugo, who loves his home ballpark.
MLB Player Props For Friday, May 12
Eury Perez Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-102)
| Reds vs. Marlins | |
| First Pitch | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | FanDuel |
At 20 years and 27 days old, Perez will become the youngest pitcher in Marlins franchise history, surpassing the late Jose Fernandez. With his arsenal, it is not hard to see why he has been on a fast track to the big leagues. According to The Athletic's Keith Law, Perez is a strike-thrower with an upper 90s fastball, a plus slider, and plus changeup. He also brings an imposing frame to the mound at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds.
Perez has strikeout stuff and it has translated at the Double-A level. He has a 2.32 ERA and a K/9 over 12. Now, Perez will look to bring that success to the big league level. However, he will have a nice matchup to rack up strikeouts in his big league debut. The Reds have the seventh-highest strikeout percentage at 24.3%.
Backing a rookie in his first start can be risky. However, recently Seattle's Bryce Miller struck out 10 against in his first start while Cleveland's Logan Allen struck out eight against the Marlins. They had the advantage of being unfamilar to the big league batters and Perez will have that advantage against the Reds as well.
He could strike out five in his first time through the lineup.
Pick: Eury Perez Over 4.5 Strikeouts (-102)
J.P. Crawford/Javier Baez One Hit Parlay (-120)
| Mariners vs. Tigers | |
| First Pitch | 6:40 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
J.P. Crawford is hitting just .243 on the season, however he has consistently gotten on base of late. Crawford has recorded one hit in six of his last eight games, including a two-hit performance against the Astros on Sunday. Tonight, he will get Matthew Boyd, who has been tough on lefties this season. But that has not stopped Crawford previously. He has four hits in nine career at-bats against Boyd, who has struggled this season with a 5.28 ERA and 1.28 WHIP.
Javier Baez has caught fire of late after a slow start to his season. Over his past 15 games, he is hitting .321 with three home runs, eight runs batted in and a .933 OPS. He has recorded at least one hit in 13 of those games. Baez has always beat up on lefties and this season, as he is hitting .321 against them this season.
Marco Gonzales will start for the Mariners and Baez is 3-for-11 with a home run against him. Gonzales has a 4.70 ERA this season and with him and Boyd on the mound, this could be a fairly high-scoring game.
I expect Crawford and Baez to be on-base and contributing.
Pick: J.P. Crawford/Javier Baez One Hit Parlay
Alex Verdugo Over 1.5 Total Bases (-115)
| Cardinals vs. Red Sox | |
| First Pitch | 7:10 p.m. ET |
| Best Line | DraftKings |
Most hitters love playing at Fenway Park and Alex Verdugo is no exception. He is hitting .308 this season, which ranks 17th in the majors. However, at home, his average goes up to .359. The Red Sox are at home again tonight and Verdugo has a great matchup against the veteran Adam Wainwright.
In his first start of the season, Wainwright allowed eight hits and four runs in five innings against the Tigers. Now he has to deal with a far more dangerous lineup at Fenway. Verdugo is hitless in three at-bats against Wainwright in his career, but he is .320 against right-handers this season. He has done so with authority. Of his 31 hits against righties, 13 have been for extra bases with seven doubles, one triple and five home runs.
Verdugo has covered this line in six of his last 10 games. He is averaging 2.5 total bases per game in that span. Hopefully, we do not have to sweat this until his final at-bat. However, if the Red Sox need another walk-off hit, Verdugo has proven more than capable this season.
Pick: Alex Verdugo Over 1.5 Total Bases
