Spotlight: MLB Betting Favorites for AL and NL MVP
Spring training is underway for the 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) season and, barring any COVID-19-related restrictions, teams are expected to play 162 regular season games. Teams were limited to 60 games in 2020 due to the pandemic. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, while Freddie Freeman and José Abreu won the National League (NL) and American League (AL) MVP, respectively.
Interestingly, neither of those players are considered top-five bets in their respective leagues to repeat as MVP. In fact, both are ranked seventh in terms of betting odds by Vegas Insider. Below is a list of the sportsbook’s three MVP favorites in each league.
AL: Mike Trout (+200)
No player in either league is as favored to win the MVP as Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The eight-time All-Star outfielder is a three-time recipient of the AL MVP and last won the award in 2019 after registering a .291 batting average in addition to 45 home runs and 104 RBI.
He also won the award in 2016 and 2014. At +200, bettors would win that much on a $100 bet should Trout win the AL MVP. In contrast, there are several betting options listed at +5000. This means the bettor could win $5,000 on a $100 bet if Josh Donaldson, Joey Gallo, or any of the other players listed at this price, were to win the award.
A 29-year-old native of Vineland, New Jersey, Trout has finished in the top five in AL MVP voting every year since 2012, when he was AL Rookie of the Year. He has led the AL in on-base percentage (OBP) in four of the past five seasons and has 302 home runs and 798 RBI through 1,252 career regular season games. He is undeniably the best player in baseball and has a case to be among the greatest of all-time. In fact, Trout is the only player in MLB history to have a wins above replacement (WAR) of 70 or higher before his 28th birthday.
AL: Alex Bregman (+1000)
Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros has the second-highest odds to win the AL MVP at +1000. Although the 26-year-old infielder has yet to win the award, he is a two-time All-Star and finished among the top five in voting in 2019 and 2018.
He was runner-up in 2019 after producing a .296 batting average to go along with 41 home runs and 112 RBI. He also led the AL with 119 walks. He is expected to be crucial to Houston’s success this season as no other player on the team has betting odds better than +3300 (Yordan Alvarez). In contrast, there are six Chicago White Sox players with AL MVP betting odds of +3300 or better.
AL: Aaron Judge (+1200)
Like Bregman, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge has yet to win the AL MVP. However, he also shares similarities to Trout in that he won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2017 and finished second in AL MVP voting that same year.
He led the league in runs (128), home runs (52), and walks (127). Through 424 regular season games, the 28-year-old has a .272 batting average to go along with 119 home runs and 268 RBI.
NL: Juan Soto (+750)
A 22-year-old native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Juan Soto finished fifth in NL MVP voting in 2020 and also won a Silver Slugger award. He led the league in batting average (.351), OBP (.490), and OPS+ (212).
The three-year veteran has a career batting average of .295 in addition to 69 home runs and 217 RBI through 313 regular season games. No other player on the Nationals is listed at +5000 or better.
NL: Mookie Betts (+750)
A former AL MVP, Mookie Betts finished second in NL MVP voting last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 28-year-old outfielder recorded a .292 batting average in addition to 16 home runs, 39 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.
He had a .346 batting average, 32 home runs, 80 RBI, and 129 runs in 2018 when he won AL MVP. Betts is a five-time Gold Glove winner, four-time Silver Slugger, and former Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year.
NL: Cody Bellinger (+800)
The winner of the 2019 NL MVP, Cody Bellinger won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award that season after registering a .305 batting average to go along with 47 home runs, 115 RBI, and 15 stolen bases.
The Dodgers outfielder and first baseman won the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year and has produced 123 home runs, 318 RBI, and a .273 batting average through 506 career regular season games. Two other Dodgers — Corey Seager and Max Muncy are listed at +4000 or better to win the 2021 NL MVP.
