Best YRFI Bets Today: Fade Jack Leiter’s First MLB Start

Thursday’s slate may be limited on the number of games, but two of them still stick out for a potential YRFI wager. Highly touted prospect Jack Leiter makes his debut against the feisty Detroit Tigers while the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays go deep in their starting rotation with two underwhelming pitchers. For more information about YRFIs and what factors play into them being worth a wager, you can read it here.

As for where to wager on YRFIs, the FanDuel sportsbook continues to be the front runner for the market. FanDuel consistently puts out lines before everyone else, as well as at very favorable odds compared to the rest of the mobile sportsbooks. If you have not signed up yet with the FanDuel sportsbook, they are giving new users $150 in bonus bets for simply signing up and winning your first bet of at least five dollars wagered. Be sure to wager the $5 on a heavy favorite after signing up, maximizing your chances of winning the bet and collecting the $150 in bonus bets.

For more betting opportunities check our list of the best MLB betting sites and curated list of MLB promos and bonuses.

Texas Rangers vs. Detroit Tigers - Jack Leiter vs. Kenta Maeda (1:10 PM, EST)

Over 0.5 Run (-102) at FanDuel

After dominating the college scene at Vanderbilt, Jack Leiter comes into the league with plenty of hype as the Rangers young pitching prospect. After being drafted, Leiter spent three years in the minors for the franchise before getting called up for Thursday’s contest against the Detroit Tigers.

While that gives us zero data to work with against major league competition, we do get a sense of what Leiter brings to the table using his stats from the minors. He managed to build up hype as a top rookie prospect, but his 2024 minor league stats tell a different story as he finished his minor league stint with an ERA of 3.77, a WHIP of 0.98, 11 hits allowed, three batters walked, 25 strikeouts, and six earned runs against in just three games played. Not exactly Cy Young type numbers, but he is still very young into his career.

Reminder, that was against minor league competition and now he has to continue to produce against a higher level of quality of opponent. The issue for Leiter in this matchup is that this team is top heavy with their batting production and are poised to punish the aggressive pitcher should he get caught lacking against major league competition.

Speaking of the Tigers, they trot out Kenta Maeda who has struggled so far this season. Maeda was brought in to bolster the pitching staff, yet has failed to do his part so far as he currently has an ERA of 6.00, a WHIP of 1.267, 10 strikeouts, 14 hits allowed, five batters walked, and 10 earned runs against in three games played so far this season.

His lack of strikeouts is concerning for his long term outlook as it indicates that negative regression is looming should opposing batters start finding the gaps in coverage at a higher rate. The Rangers top of their order is dangerous, featuring a blend of elite contact ability and power who can take Maeda deep if he continues to hang pitches across the middle of the plate.

Place your YRFI bets at FanDuel

Los Angeles Angels vs. Tampa Bay Rays - Griffin Canning vs. Ryan Pepiot (1:10 PM, EST)

Over 0.5 Run (-114) at FanDuel

At the same time Jack Leiter makes his highly anticipated debut, the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays kick off with two underwhelming pitchers set to duel it out. That immediately screams potential early runs, especially with both teams fielding elite batting production at the top of their batting orders.

Starting with the Angels, they trot out Griffin Canning who makes his fourth appearance of the season. It’s been a 2024 to forget so far, currently possessing an ERA of 9.88, a WHIP of 1.829, an astonishing 21 hits allowed, four batters walked, and 15 earned runs against. His high WHIP is especially inviting to fade against, nearly averaging two opposing batters on base per inning with someone in scoring position.

For the Rays, they field Ryan Pepiot who has fared much better than his counterpart but is still prone to getting shelled for a runner on base. Pepiot has an ERA of 5.40 and WHIP of 1.020, but has a tendency to get aggressive with a high strikeout rate. While that seems less than ideal for a YRFI, his aggressiveness may come back to bite him against the likes of Mike Trout who can take him yard at a moments notice.

Head to FanDuel and place your YRFI bets

More MLB Best Bets Today

• Best MLB Bets Today

• Best MLB Prop Bets Today

• Best NRFI Bets Today

• Best MLB Parlay Picks Today