The 2025 MLB season kicks off a bit earlier than usual tomorrow with a marquee matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan.
With Shohei Ohtani headlining the big game in his home country and 2 Japanese pitchers — Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga — set to kick things off on the mound, this is shaping up to be an electric opener that is going to have tons of betting potential.
With that in mind, let’s lock in 4 of the best player prop bets for this highly anticipated first game of the 2025 season.
Player Prop Odds: +240
We’re starting this off with a classic given where this game is taking place.
Ohtani has already crushed a home run in his limited ABs in the preseason leading up to this series, showing he’s locked in at the plate. Playing in front of his home fans in Japan will only add to the excitement, and you can bet that there’s a good chance he will deliver a big moment.
Looking at last season, Ohtani homered in 33% of his games going yard 53 HR in 159 games. While Imanaga was dominant in NPB, this is his first real test against elite MLB hitters. Given that Ohtani has already seen plenty of Japanese pitching, he should easily have the edge in this matchup.
What we love the most about this dinger of a prop is that it’s +240. This is a great value bet for baseball’s biggest star in a historic game. What else would make an Ohtani homer any better than being in Japan other than you cashing in on a bet?
Player Prop Odds: +170
Freeman is one of the most disciplined hitters in the league and it’s easy to see why when you look at the stats. He’s walked in each of his last 7 season openers. A good reason for this is that pitchers are afraid of him so they try to get him to stretch for the ball, but he’s too disciplined for that. His patience at the plate makes this prop a strong play, especially with Imanaga making his MLB debut and working out the kinks for MLB power hitters.
Last season, Freeman posted a .378 OBP and drew 78 walks, ranking among the best in the league. With Ohtani most likely hitting behind him in the lineup, Cubs pitchers may be extra careful which only increases the likelihood of a free pass to first.
At +170, this is an under-the-radar prop with some seriously solid value.
Player Prop Odds: +190
Edman has been a hit machine to start this season, already recording 3 home runs and 6 RBIs in his 33 plate appearances in the preseason.
He’s also picked up 2 hits in each of the Dodgers’ last 5 games as favorites, which makes this prop especially intriguing. He gets the team fired up to take the win.
With Yamamoto making his first official MLB start, we don’t think he’ll pitch deep into the game, giving Edman multiple at-bats against the Cubs bullpen which doesn’t look all that great. If he continues his recent form, he can easily rack up a couple of hits.
With this MLB prop bet going for +190, this is a high-value play on one of the Dodgers’ most reliable hitters.
Player Prop Odds: -195
While the odds aren’t as flashy as the others, this is easily one of the safest bets on the board.
Suzuki has been incredibly consistent. He’s recorded at least 1 hit in 15 of his last 16 games dating back to last season.
Even though he’s facing a tough pitcher in Yamamoto, Suzuki thrives in high-contact situations and will be extra motivated playing in Japan. He also hit .283 last season, which isn’t all that bad, making this a strong bet to include in parlays.
It’s not one of the plus-money plays we tend to go after, but it’s a reliable one that we won’t skip out on.
The MLB Tokyo Series is packed with exciting matchups — as if the games themselves weren’t exciting enough. These 4 prop bets offer a good mix of value and strong stat backing.
Ohtani’s home run prop at +240 is a must-play given the setting and one of the hottest bets of the night, while Freeman’s walks at +170 and Edman’s hits at +190 offer great value. Suzuki’s hit prop -195 is about as safe as they come.
Let’s start the 2025 MLB season with some winning bets in Japan.