3 Best MLB Props to Back on August 21: Murakami, Torkelson Home Runs, Sonny Gray Strikeouts

Friday night’s MLB slate is loaded with prop angles, but three stand out above the noise: a DraftKings home run parlay pairing two of the sport’s premier sluggers, a Tigers masher quietly checking every box on FanDuel, and a Red Sox ace who’s been an absolute strikeout machine all summer. Whether you like your props with power or with punchouts, tonight’s board has you covered.

These three picks span two prop types and three different games, but they share one thing in common: real recent form backing up the number. Here’s the case for each.

Munetaka Murakami Is Part of DraftKings’ “Big Bats” Parlay

Munetaka Murakami has been one of the best stories in baseball this year, and Friday he’s featured in DraftKings’ “Big Bats” home run parlay alongside Shohei Ohtani. The two-leg parlay — Ohtani to homer and Murakami to homer — pays out at a juicy +1710, with Ohtani sitting at 30 home runs (eighth in MLB) and Murakami right behind him at 29, tied for 10th leaguewide as a rookie.

Murakami’s power has been loud and consistent all season. Hitting his 29th homer while tied for 10th in MLB is no small feat for a first-year player adjusting to a new league, and he’s shown he can go deep against a variety of arms. Betting Murakami’s individual leg — over 0.5 home runs — is the safer, standalone way to attack this same trend without needing Ohtani to cooperate too.

If you’re looking to build your own version of this parlay or shop for the best number, our MLB odds page is the fastest way to compare HR prop pricing across books before locking anything in.

Spencer Torkelson Keeps Checking Every Home Run Box

Spencer Torkelson is priced at +420 to hit a home run Friday, and the underlying numbers make that number more appealing than it looks at first glance. The Tigers’ No. 20 has 20 home runs in 126 games this season, meaning he’s gone deep in 15.1% of his games played — a rate that would make +420 (an implied probability of roughly 19%) closer to a coin flip than a longshot if he’s trending anywhere near his hot stretches.

Torkelson has dealt with some cold spells mixed into his season, but the power is undeniable when he connects — he’s shown the ability to change a game with one swing all year. Twenty home runs already through 126 games keeps him on pace for a career-best power season, and Detroit needs that thump in the middle of their order every night down the stretch.

Betting a boom-or-bust slugger like Torkelson works best in isolation rather than forcing him into a same-game parlay — a straight home run prop lets you cash regardless of what else happens in the box score.

Sonny Gray Has Been a Strikeout Machine All Summer

Sonny Gray takes the mound for Boston on Friday night sporting a ridiculous 15-3 record and a 2.65 ERA, and he brings 117 strikeouts on the season into a home matchup with a San Francisco Giants lineup that gives up plenty of swings and misses. Gray’s strikeout prop sits right around 5.5 at most books, and his season averages backed by a strong recent stretch make the over a legitimate consideration.

Across his last 10 starts, Gray has been racking up strikeouts at an even higher clip than his season average, and he’s been especially sharp at home this year. San Francisco’s lineup, meanwhile, has had its share of strikeout-prone bats in the middle of the order all season. Put a pitcher performing at a near ace level in a favorable home spot, and the strikeout over becomes one of the more attractive plays on the entire slate.

Fans looking to track live line movement on Gray’s prop and others throughout the night should check our player prop search tool for real-time updates as first pitch approaches.

Lock These In

Three completely different flavors of prop, three completely different reasons to like them. Here’s the full slate of plays for Friday night:

• Munetaka Murakami OVER 0.5 Home Runs (part of DraftKings “Big Bats” parlay at +1710 with Ohtani)
• Spencer Torkelson to Hit a Home Run (+420)
• Sonny Gray OVER Strikeouts (check your book for the latest number)

Power and punchouts both have a home on tonight’s board — pick your poison and enjoy the ride.