White Sox vs. Blue Jays prop picks: Bet on Chicago sluggers to thrive as Vladdy flounders

The Toronto Blue Jays have a chance to extend an undefeated series streak that goes back to May 15 if they can topple the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

The pregame narrative: Andrew Vaughn and Jose Abreu look like dangerous foes for Blue Jays starter Hyun-Jin Ryu, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s struggles driving the ball seem likely to continue against a tough opponent.

Here are our White Sox vs. Blue Jays prop picks for June 1.

White Sox vs. Blue Jays prop picks overview

White Sox vs. Blue Jays prop picks

Best bet: Vaughn over 0.5 RBI (+155)

After an underwhelming rookie year, Vaughn is sporting a .291/.339/.509 line with a profile extremely conducive to driving in runs. His combination of a low walk rate (5.0%), low strikeout rate (18.2%) and well-above-average power (.218 ISO) keeps the ball consistently in play and baserunners in front of him scoring.

Read more: White Sox vs. Blue Jays picks and betting odds

Vaughn has also earned the trust of his manager, hitting out of the second or third spot in five straight games, after hitting sixth or lower in 15 of his prior 26 contests.

The slugger isn’t just a guy with a strong offensive profile likely to pile up RBI opportunities, though — he’s also an absolute lefty masher.

A total of 200 hitters have faced southpaws at least 150 times since the beginning of the 2021 season and Vaughn’s wRC+ of 153 against them is tied for 11th, just behind Aaron Judge.

Factor in Ryu’s struggles containing right-handed hitters this season, and it’s clear Vaughn is in a good spot.

Split AVG OBP SLG Vaughn vs. LHP .308 .357 .462 RHH vs. Ryu .303 .323 .526

Beyond his baked-in matchup advantage, it also helps that the White Sox slugger is currently on a heater, which he demonstrated on Tuesday by homering on a Kevin Gausman splitter — a feat no other hitter has managed in 2022.

Key stat: Vaughn has hit .367 with four multi-hit efforts and nine RBI in his last seven games.

Read more: Blue Jays betting trends

Quick picks

Abreu over 1.5 bases (+107): Abreu’s season-long stats don’t jump off the page, but he’s coming off a strong May (136 wRC+) and has always been significantly more effective against southpaws.

Split 2022 Season Career Total wRC+ vs RHP 113 126 wRC+ vs. LHP 153 151

As an added bonus, he’s 2-for-5 in his career against Ryu with a double and a home run — plus his career OPS of .991 at Rogers Centre is his best mark at any ballpark where he’s made at least 100 plate appearances.

Guerrero under 1.5 bases (-137): Betting against Vladdy to go for extra bases seems dubious in theory, but it’s been profitable in practice recently. Guerrero has only cleared this prop in three of his last 21 games, and he’s dealing with a minor wrist injury that kept him out of the lineup on Sunday.

Against a tough starter in Michael Kopech, who’s allowing only 3.6 hits per nine innings, it will be difficult for the first baseman to break out on Wednesday.

Odds as of 12:00 p.m. ET on 06/01/22

NA

Nick Ashbourne writes about sports betting for NorthStar Bets. NorthStar Bets is owned by NordStar Capital, which also owns Torstar, the Star’s parent company. Follow him on Twitter: @NickAshbourne SHARE:

Disclaimer This content was produced as part of a partnership and therefore it may not meet the standards of impartial or independent journalism.