- The public has spoken and made its picks for MLB Opening Day on Thursday, March 27
- The public loves the Phillies to win and Aaron Judge to go long
- See the public’s favorite picks for MLB Opening Day
MLB Opening Day 2025 is just hours away and the folks at ESPN Bet have shared the public’s favorite picks for a wide range of bet types, including moneyline, run total, and home run props. The tables below set out the public’s top-five bets by handle in all three categories. Use the anchors to jump directly to each one.
Jump to: Moneyline Picks | Run Total Picks | Home Run Picks
Public’s Favorite Moneyline Picks for Opening Day
Odds and splits as of March 27 at ESPN Bet. Claim the ESPN Bet promo code ahead of Opening Day.
The most-bet-on team on Opening Day is the Phillies, who are -160 road favorites over the Nationals in the nation’s capital. They’re closely followed by the Yankees, who are -150 home chalk against the Brewers in the Big Apple, despite ace Gerrit Cole starting the season on the 60-day IL. (Veteran Carlos Rodon will start in his place.)
Round out the top three is the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have the luxury of sending Paul Skenes – the preseason favorite in the NL Cy Young odds – to the hill against Sandy Alcantara, who’s making his first start since 2023 due to Tommy John surgery. Pittsburgh is a -155 road favorite in Miami.
The reining-champion Dodgers are fourth. LA actually started its season against the Cubs last week in Japan, winning a pair of games (4-1 and 6-3). Los Angeles is a -165 home favorite against the Tigers in Thursday’s MLB odds, who send reigning AL Cy Young-winner Tarik Skubal to the mound.
Public’s Favorite Run Total Picks for Opening Day
At first glance, the low totals for Opening Day stood out to me. There isn’t a single game over 8.5 and the majority are at 7.5 or lower. But remember that it’s harder to hit in cold weather and every team has their top arm on the mound (plus a fully-rested bullpen). The low-ish totals aren’t a mistake.
But the public still can’t help itself, it seems: all five of the most-bet run totals on Opening Day are overs. At the top of the list is the Brewers vs Yankees in the Bronx, which has a total of 7.5 in a pitching matchup between Freddy Peralta and Carlos Rodon.
Public’s Favorite Home Run Prop Picks for Opening Day
Aaron Judge, who’s led the AL in homers three times (each season that he’s played at least 150 games), has short +190 odds to go long against Freddy Peralta and the Brewers on Thursday. But the Yankees megastar and two-time AL MVP is still the most-bet-on player to go yard on Opening Day. Judge hit 58 home runs last year, the second-highest total of his career.
Judge is followed by reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani at +400. Ohtani is perceived to have a much-tougher matchup, facing AL Cy Young-winner Tarik Skubal. Ohanti launched a career-best 54 homers last year, his first with the Dodgers. Ohtani is 0-for-6 lifetime against Skubal with one strikeout.
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As Major League Baseball’s Opening Day approaches, fans and bettors alike are eagerly anticipating the start of the season. With so many exciting matchups on the schedule, there are plenty of opportunities for fans to make their predictions and place their bets on which teams will come out on top.
One of the most popular bets for Opening Day is the home run selection. Fans love to predict which player will hit the first home run of the season, and there are always a few standout candidates to choose from. Whether it’s a power hitter like Aaron Judge or Mike Trout, or a surprise underdog like a rookie making his debut, the home run selection is always a fun and exciting bet to make.
In addition to the home run selection, fans are also keeping a close eye on the moneyline for Opening Day games. The moneyline is a simple bet on which team will win the game, with odds set by the sportsbook based on each team’s chances of winning. With so many competitive matchups on Opening Day, there are sure to be some close games that could go either way, making the moneyline bet a popular choice for fans looking to get in on the action.
Finally, the over/under selection is another popular bet for Opening Day. The over/under bet is a wager on whether the total number of runs scored in a game will be over or under a certain number set by the sportsbook. With so many high-scoring offenses in the MLB, fans are always looking for opportunities to cash in on the over/under bet and predict whether a game will be a high-scoring affair or a low-scoring pitcher’s duel.
Overall, there are plenty of exciting betting options for fans to choose from on MLB Opening Day. Whether it’s predicting the first home run of the season, betting on the moneyline for a close matchup, or wagering on the over/under for a high-scoring game, there are plenty of opportunities for fans to get in on the action and make their predictions for the start of the season.
