Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose.
Welcome to Friday Night Lights, my weekly column breaking down my favorite home run props for Friday evening’s slate.
Read on for my 3 favorite MLB player props today for Friday, June 12, including picks for Phillies vs Brewers and Rockies vs Athletics.
MLB Player Props Today
In the table below, you'll find each of our MLB staff's top player prop picks from today's slate of games. Click on any pick or team logo to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Time (ET) | Player Prop |
|---|---|
| 7:40 PM | |
| 8:10 PM | |
| 10:05 PM | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our MLB Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | |
Phillies vs. Brewers MLB Player Prop
Jake Bauers
Home Run
It's been a long journey for Jake Bauers to find a consistent place in a major league lineup, but the 30-year-old has finally carved out an everyday role in Milwaukee.
It only took five organizations over nine seasons, but Bauer is enjoying what has been far and away his best year in 2026. His team-leading 12 home runs have already matched a career-high, while his .277/.376/.515 slash line is blowing out his prior marks.
Bauers is currently second on the team in extra-base hits (24) and ISO (.238), while his 54.4% hard-hit rate ranks eighth among all qualified MLB hitters.
The Brewers have scored a remarkable 84 runs through just 10 games so far in the month of June, and having the powerful lefty as a fixture in the lineup has been a big reason why.
Furthermore, Bauers is crushing fastballs this season — eight of his 12 home runs have been launched against the heater, while his .327 BA and .626 SLG against the pitch really jump off the page.
Tonight's opposing pitcher, right-hander Andrew Painter, has leaned heavily on his fastball this season, especially against left-handed bats, and the results have been anything but stellar.
Opponents are hitting .390 against the four-seamer to go along with a .585 SLG alongside just a 9.9% whiff rate. Painter owns an 11.57 ERA so far in June and has allowed a pair of home runs in each of his past two outings.
It appears the 23-year-old’s recent struggles are in line to continue tonight on the road against Bauers and a potent Milwaukee lineup.
Pick: Jake Bauers Home Run (+420, FanDuel)
Cardinals vs. Twins MLB Player Prop
Byron Buxton
Home Run
Byron Buxton is in the midst of his 12th season with the Twins, so it's no surprise the team's star center fielder has gotten comfortable hitting at Target Field.
Through 28 games in his home park in 2026, Minnesota's franchise player is batting .291 to go along with a .636 SLG and 1.007 OPS. Of the 20 home runs he has belted so far this year, 11 of them have come at home, while his .345 ISO in the same confines stands as one of the highest marks a slugger could ask for.
In general, it has been a monster season for the 32-year-old All-Star, who ranks fifth among qualified MLB hitters with a .303 ISO and sixth with a .559 SLG, while only four players have more barrels than Buxton's 31 on the year.
On the other end, St. Louis starting pitcher Kyle Leahy has posted some pretty frightening home/road splits in 2026. Perhaps protected by the pitcher-friendly environment of Busch Stadium, the 29-year-old owns a 3.77 ERA and has yet to allow a homer in his home park. On the road, however, Leahy has conceded a whopping eight home runs in just 30.1 IP to pair with a 5.04 ERA.
Looking under the hood even further, Leahy's .306 xBA, .524 xSLG, and 6.59 xERA are among the worst marks in baseball for a starting pitcher and are indicative of some looming regression for the right-hander going forward.
Pick: Byron Buxton Home Run (+285, FanDuel)
Rockies vs. Athletics MLB Player Prop
Nick Kurtz
Home Run
It doesn't really matter who the Rockies decide to name as their starting pitcher tonight; the Athletics are going to put up a whole lot of offense in Las Vegas.
After piling on a combined 25 runs earlier in the week against a competent Milwaukee pitching staff, imagine the damage the A's can do against the worst staff in baseball?
Colorado’s arms rank dead last in batting average against (.286) and ERA (5.56) so far in 2026, while the bullpen in particular has been responsible for 41 of the team's 94 home runs allowed.
Now this group has to find a way to keep the ball from leaving the yard in a park that just welcomed 22 home runs in a mere three-game series.
Zach Agnos and his 7.65 ERA are in line to start tonight for the Rockies, although the team might choose to go in a different direction due to his recent struggles. The 25-year-old right-hander has surrendered five home runs in his last six innings alone, so it's unlikely Colorado is confident in his abilities to contain opposing hitters in Vegas.
There is no shortage of power in this Athletics lineup, but it is Nick Kurtz who stands out as the catalyst of the offense. In just his second major league season, Kurtz ranks fourth among all qualified MLB hitters with a 58.3% hard-hit rate and ranks sixth in average exit velocity (94.4 MPH).
With five of his 15 home runs coming already in June, including four in Las Vegas earlier this week, the red-hot 23-year-old is a great candidate to destroy a baseball or two tonight in the scorching Nevada desert.
