From here on out, I will be running my ‘Total Base of the Day’ segment every Friday and will continue selecting my two favorite players on the baseball slate to exceed their respective 1.5 total base marks on that night.
Below, I will highlight two players who I believe have very favorable matchups ahead of Friday night’s slate of games.
MLB Props Friday: Minion's Favorite Total Base Props
Jordan Walker
at Reds, 6:40 PM ET
For my first hitter in Friday’s ‘Total Base of the Day’ piece, I will be looking to target Cardinals’ OF Jordan Walker who is off to a phenomenal start to his fourth season in the Big Leagues.
Despite a relatively disappointing first three years for Saint Louis’ former highly-touted prospect, Walker has taken a massive leap in 2026 and has quickly established himself as one of baseball’s premier sluggers.
The Cardinals’ 23-year-old phenom ranks inside the top-10 in several statistical categories having smashed 13 runs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">homers (HR), driven in 34 runners (RBIs) and has been slashing at the plate with a 0.938 OPS thus far.
While Saint Louis’ fanbase was certainly worried about its top-prospect across his first few years in the MLB, the Cardinals’ youngster has silenced the critics and is now the best player on the entire ball club.
In addition to his scorching form at the plate, Walker gets a very favorable matchup in Cincinnati as veteran right-hander Chris Paddack is set to take the mound for the Reds while in the midst of a terrible 2026 campaign.
The Reds’ 30-year-old was just signed to a one-year contract after having recorded career-low numbers on the mound to start his 2026 campaign with the Marlins. Paddack’s 7.63 ERA across seven outings with Miami was enough for the club to release him.
Though Paddack slightly improved in his first start with the Reds having allowed two ER across five frames, I expect Paddack to continue his horrific form as Cincinnati hosts a red-hot Cardinal bunch.
While Walker is hitless in three prior plate appearances (PA) versus the Reds’ veteran, the Cardinals’ youngster is an entirely different player this season and has a heavy-contact profile in the box which should undoubtedly pose problems for Paddack.
Saint Louis’ superstar has drastically changed his batting stance that has resulted in a complete transformation from a hitter with a high groundball rate to one who can generate substantial power at the plate with a far increased barrel rate.
Walker’s elite exit velocities and slugging metrics against right-handed pitching should be problematic for Paddack given his current form.
Paddack’s command issues in 2026 has resulted in the Reds’ righty having to rely far more on his four-seam fastball which happens to be Walker’s most favorable pitch to display his raw power at the plate.
Given Walker’s improved patience at the plate I do not expect him to chase Paddack’s off-speed arsenal, and the Cardinals’ star could very well smash a high-velocity fastball if it is left up in the zone.
That said, I feel great backing Walker to exceed his 1.5 Total Base mark ahead of the Cardinals’ matchup with the Reds on Friday night at Great American Ball Park.
Pick: Jordan Walker Over 1.5 Total Bases (-130, FanDuel)
Matt Olson
vs Nationals, 7:15 PM ET
For my second ‘Total Base of the Day’ selection, I will be looking to target Braves’ first baseman Matt Olson to find success at the plate when Atlanta hosts the Nationals on Friday night at Truist Park.
It has been quite the 2026 campaign for the Braves’ three-time All-Star with Olson currently thriving across several offensive categories.
Atlanta’s lefty slugger leads all of baseball in RBIs having driven in 42 runners to start his 2026 season. Olson has also been slashing at the plate with a 0.944 OPS and ranks seventh in baseball having smashed 13 homers already.
In addition to Olson’s scorching form at the plate throughout the Braves’ first 40 games this season, the left-handed slugger will have an extremely favorable matchup versus Nationals’ veteran starter in Miles Mikolas.
Washington’s right-hander is having an atrocious first season with the team after having spent seven seasons playing in Saint Louis for the Cardinals.
Across his first ten appearances on the mound for the Nats, Mikolas has posted a troubling 6.91 ERA to go along with a 1.49 WHIP thus far.
The Nationals’ righty has allowed 32 earned runs (ER) across just 41 frames on the bump in 2026, and ranks fifth in home runs allowed having already surrendered 11 dingers.
The Nats’ 37-year-old is currently posting career lows across the board, which is not very surprising for a decade-plus veteran in the big leagues.
Mikolas’ role in Washington’s rotation seems to be intact for the moment despite his poor form and frequent susceptibility to hard contact left-handed sluggers like Olson.
In 15 prior plate-appearances versus Mikolas, Olson has recorded two doubles, two homers and four RBIs.
Mikolas has a pretty versatile pitching arsenal featuring several off-speed pitches that he has had great success with in previous years, but his lack of command in 2026 has led to a massive dropoff in their effectiveness.
For a starter like Mikolas who has relied on pitching to contact this season, I expect this to be another nightmare matchup versus Olson’s power profile.
The Braves’ slugger boasts tremendous launch angle and exit velocity on the left side of the plate, which very frequently results in extra-base hits when matched up against right-handed pitchers.
I expect Olson to build upon the massive edge he has had over Mikolas in recent years, and fully expect Atlanta’s lefty to soar over his 1.5 TB mark ahead of Friday night’s divisional showdown at Truist Park.
Pick: Matt Olson Over 1.5 Total Bases
