Best Shohei Ohtani MLB Player to Bet This Offseason
The biggest news of the MLB offseason was the Los Angeles Dodgers opening their checkbook and shelling out $700 million for 10 years of Shohei Ohtani’s services. Or, depending on how you look at it, LA spends $10 million for Ohtani, with a $690 million retirement package that puts Bobby Bonilla’s contract to shame.
While we have to wait until MLB Opening Day on March 20 for the Dodgers to show off their shiny new toy, we don’t have to wait to make MLB prop bets during the offseason.
As of this writing, BetUS Sportsbook has 11 props just for Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers.
Even Post-Surgery, Ohtani is an MVP-Caliber Hitter
Two props that piqued my interest are in reference to Ohtanis’s batting average and total RBIs by the end of the 2024 season.
Ohtani’s batting average prop is set at .274, with the MLB odds on the Over at -120. His RBI prop is set at 90.5, juiced to the Over at -125.
Even with a change of scenery potentially disrupting Ohtani, and he’s coming off a major surgery, I feel both MLB props are too low. The .274 average is something Ohtani can absolutely accomplish, considering he hit .304 last season and .273 the year prior. Similarly, Ohtani’s projection of 90.5 RBI feels like an easy win, with 95+ in his last three seasons.
The move of ballparks won’t affect Ohtani much, with Angel and Dodger stadiums having similar dimensions for left-handed hitters. However, he will be on a more productive offense, and one would think in better spirits with the Dodgers’ winning ways.
Because the Dodgers lineup is so nasty, LA finished in the top five of runs scored in the last six years and ranked first or second in plate appearances during that time. With the lineup batting around more than any other team in the MLB, Ohtani could average almost one more at-bat per game than he was in Anaheim.
While I doubt that Shotime will return to form on the mound in 2025, we haven’t seen the best of him at the plate. With a fresh team and hopefully the added spark of playing for a contender, I think Ohtani will have his best offensive season in the MLB in 2024.
The RBI side of things is almost a gimme, with a lineup that includes Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Jason Heyward.
Questions Of The Day
Which MLB player props offer the best value?
MLB picks with the best dark-horse value, such as the leader in hits or strikeouts in the 2024 MLB season.
Which MLB team has the highest opportunity of winning the World Series?
According to the current , the stacked Los Angeles Dodgers are listed at +450 to win it all.
