Today’s Best MLB Home Run Prop Bets: Top 5 picks including Taylor Ward, Oneil Cruz, and more for May 18, 2025
Home run props have been sizzling lately, and today’s MLB slate offers another batch of power spots across the league. From stars on hot streaks to under-the-radar bats facing vulnerable arms, the board is stacked with opportunities. Several hitters are riding multi-game homer binges, and a couple find themselves matched up against debutants or struggling starters.
We’ve handpicked five names for May 18, a mix of premium bats and sneaky value plays. Let’s get straight into today’s top home run prop picks.
Note: Odds are set by DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change. No outcome can be guaranteed when betting on sports.
Today’s 5 Best MLB Home Run Prop Bets
#5. Oneil Cruz (+280)
Oneil Cruz might not have eye-popping batting average numbers, but the damage he does when he connects is downright violent. With a thundering 96.5 mph average exit velocity and nearly half his batted balls classified as hard-hit, Cruz steps in today against MLB debutant Mick Abel, a stage that’s made plenty of rookie arms nervous. This is the exact type of chaotic, high-variance matchup where Cruz’s towering left-handed power could flip a game in one swing.
#4. Corbin Carroll (+285)
Corbin Carroll continues to swing one of the hottest bats in baseball, with a scorching .612 slugging and 14 homers already this season. He now draws Chase Dollander and his rough 6.88 ERA, a pitcher Carroll’s elite 93.9 mph exit velocity and 41.6% hard-hit rate should feast on. Add in Carroll’s mix of power and speed, and this thin Colorado air matchup feels tailor-made for another fireworks show off his bat.
#3. Eugenio Suarez (+360)
Eugenio Suarez might be streaky, but when he’s locked in like this, you ride the wave. With 4 homers and 14 RBIs in his last 8 games, including a .793 slugging over that stretch, Suarez faces the same vulnerable arm as Carroll in Chase Dollander. Given Suarez’s recent power surge and Dollander’s struggles to keep the ball in the yard, this matchup screams value for a long ball shot.
#2. Taylor Ward (+370)
Taylor Ward might not be a batting average guy this year, but the power’s been alive and well, with 3 homers in his last 5 games. Despite a tough opponent in Dodgers' Tony Gonsolin, Ward’s 40.2% hard-hit rate and steady barrel numbers hint he’s one good swing away from another. In a matchup like this, chasing the heater while he’s hot makes perfect sense.
#1. Jeremy Pena (+550)
Jeremy Pena’s been quietly productive all season, hitting over .300 with a balanced mix of power and speed. While his hard-hit and barrel rates aren’t eye-popping, his consistency at the plate makes him a sneaky longshot pick, especially with juicy +550 odds today against Jack Leiter. Leiter has been hittable, with a 4.34 ERA, so if you’re hunting for a value swing, Pena’s the kind of under-the-radar bat worth backing in this spot.