We have a three-game Wild Card Series slate Thursday, and there are potentially profitable PrizePicks opportunities throughout the day. We highlight four of our favorites below:
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Steven Kwan, CLE vs. DET: More Than 0.5 Singles
Kwan is a quintessential leadoff hitter, as he posted a tiny 8.7 percent strikeout rate during the regular season and added 21 stolen bases and an impressive 25.7 percent line-drive rate. He's just 1-for-8 in the first two games of the Wild Card Series, but Kwan hit safely in 107 of 156 regular-season games and went hitless in consecutive games on only five occasions throughout the campaign. Additionally, 129 of his 170 regular-season hits were singles.
The Tigers' Jack Flaherty has held Kwan to a .250 average in 19 career encounters, but he's only struck out him out once in that sample, particularly notable considering how good the veteran righty's swing-and-miss stuff is. With Kwan likely to make contact and Flaherty having allowed a .254 average and .320 OBP to lefty bats on the road in 2025, this is a prop that has a solid chance of hitting.
Spencer Torkelson, DET at CLE: More Than 4.5 Hitter Fantasy Score
Torkelson was hit on the hand by a pitch and also fouled a ball off his foot in Wednesday's Game 2, but X-rays were negative and he's expected to be available for Thursday's matinee elimination game. The veteran outfielder tied a career high with 31 homers this season and socked an impressive 59 of his 135 hits for extra bases, giving him more than enough pop to rack up solid fantasy production in plenty of contests.
Torkelson draws a matchup which has brought him success before in right-hander Slade Cecconi, who he owns a .333 average against in six career plate appearances. Cecconi also had trouble in same-handed matchups at home this season, surrendering a .290 average, .840 OPS and .358 wOBA in that split while allowing 16 of the 38 hits he conceded to go for extra bases.
Michael Busch, CHC vs. SDP: More Than 5 Hitter Fantasy Score
Busch had had a slow first two games of the Wild Card Series, but he's coming off a career-best regular season where he belted 34 homers, drove in 90 runs and posted a .261 average and .866 OPS. The talented leadoff man also laced 64 of his 137 hits for extra bases, giving him plenty of fantasy upside.
Busch doesn't have a hit in four career plate appearances against Padres starter Yu Darvish, who finished the regular season with a career-worst 5.38 ERA and career-high 1.8 HR/9. He also gave up a .284 average, .877 OPS and .374 wOBA to left-handed hitters on the road, while also pitching to a massive 2.5 HR/9 in that split. Meanwhile, Busch generated an extra-base hit on 24 of his 54 knocks against righties at home, a split where he posted an .862 OPS and .370 wOBA.
Aaron Judge, NYY vs. BOS: More Than 1.5 Total Bases
Judge has gone 2-for-4 in each of the first two games of the AL Wild Card Series, following an MVP-worthy season where he racked up an astronomical, MLB-high 372 total bases thanks in large part to his 85 extra-base hits.
Judge will see rookie left-hander Connelly Early for the first time, and the Yankees slugger punished southpaws at home during the regular season to the tune of a .352 average, 1.285 OPS and .502 wOBA, a sample where he also hit 11 extra-base hits out of 19 knocks total. Judge averaged 2.4 total bases per contest during the regular season and has four total bases over the first two games, and needless to say, this prop is very much within his range of outcomes.
