MLB DFS Picks Today: Top Plays for PrizePicks - 4/17/25

The great thing about Thursday baseball is you’ve got MLB games throughout the day, as many teams get into their weekend series. Below, we’ll focus on the afternoon and night games for the best MLB DFS picks today.

Thursday’s best MLB DFS picks today include pitchers and hitters to target on PrizePicks MLB, plus a home run prediction. The top games include the Angels vs. Rangers on MLB Network at 8:05 p.m. ET, and Bobby Witt Jr. and the Royals vs. the Tigers on FS1 at 6:40 p.m. ET

Whether you’re riding with pitchers or a hitter’s home run pick, the Thursday MLB slate is stacked with opportunities to cash in on PrizePicks. Below are five picks to help you build your winning lineups for Thursday's MLB game.

Don’t forget to head to the PrizePicks MLB board, lock in your picks, and submit your Lineup to get in on the real money MLB action before the first pitch.

MLB DFS Picks on PrizePicks: Thursday, 4/17

Here are the top MLB DFS picks and predictions for PrizePicks today. Use this analysis to build your Lineups on PrizePicks MLB on Thursday, April 17. Click to read more about each picks.

• Rangers P Kumar Rocker — 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (Demon)
• Phillies P Cristopher Sanchez — 0.5 Walks Allowed (Goblin)
• Rangers OF Adolis Garcia —1.5 Total Bases (Demon)
• Mets 1B Pete Alonso — 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI
• Home Run Pick: Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. (Demon)

Rangers P Kumar Rocker — 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (Demon)

• Rangers P Kumar Rocker has allowed three or more earned runs in two of three starts this season.
• Rocker comes in with a career 5.87 ERA in six starts, and a 4.79 xFIP this year, suggesting that his underlying metrics aren’t much better than his inflated ERA.
• Rocker is below the 10th percentile in several categories, including hard-hit percentage (5th), strikeout percentage (5th), and expected ERA (7th). 
• He faces the Angels with the second-highest slugging percentage (.444) and the second-most home runs (30).
  

Phillies P Cristopher Sanchez — 0.5 Walks Allowed (Goblin)

• Phillies P Christopher Sanchez has a 6.8 walk percentage this season 
• Sanchez has allowed at least one walk in each start in 2025.
• The Giants have a career 16.0% walk rate against Sanchez.
• The Giants are fifth in walks per game this season (3.83).

Rangers OF Adolis Garcia —1.5 Total Bases (Demon)

• Rangers OF Adolis Garcia has multiple total bases in three of his last five games.
• He has more extra bases at home (5) compared to on the road (2).
• Facing Angels starting pitcher Jack Kochanowicz, Garcia has one hit in two at-bats, which was a home run.

Mets 1B Pete Alonso — 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBI

• Mets 1B Pete Alonso is fifth in batting (.365) and third in OPS (1.205).
• He is in the 99th percentile in several categories in expected slugging, barrel percentage, and hard hit percentage.
• He has gone over this projection in three straight games.
• He is a career 1-for-3 against Andre Pallante.

Home Run Pick: Kansas City SS Bobby Witt Jr.

• Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. has hit one home run in the last three games.
• Witt’s opponent, Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson, has a 51.1% hard hit rate this season — well above league average.
• Witt has hit two home runs off Olson, a division rival, in 11 at-bats.

Most Popular MLB Picks on PrizePicks Today

Here are the most popular MLB PrizePicks picks for Thursday, April 17. These are the players selected most in MLB Lineups as of 1 p.m. ET.

• Yankees OF Aaron Judge — 7 Hitter Fantasy Score
• Royals P Michael Lorenzen — 16.5 Pitching Outs
• Yankees P Will Warren — 5 Pitcher Strikeouts 
• Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. — 8.5 Hitter Fantasy Score
• Phillies P Christopher Sanchez — 6 Strikeouts
• Phillies OF Bryce Harper — 7.5 Hitter Fantas Score

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Cash in on MLB DFS Today on PrizePicks

There are a lot of great games on the Thursday MLB slate, so there’s no better time to get in on the action on PrizePicks. Just build your MLB Lineup on PrizePicks and win real money if your picks are correct. 

All you need to do is pick More or Less on at least two player projections — like hits or pitcher strikeouts — to win real cash.

Whether you go with demons or goblins, there’s always real money sports action waiting for you on PrizePicks. Stay locked in on the Playbook all season long for MLB player picks every day.