With the MLB season winding down, it’s time to take a closer glance at the AL and NL MVP betting favorites.
The MVP race in the NL has become a two-player competition between Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves and Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With both players having extraordinary seasons, Acuña and Betts have gone back and forth, trading places as No. 1 and No. 2 on the oddsboard.
Over in the AL, you can all but hand Shohei Ohtani the hardware, as his odds to win the award sit at -20000.
That’s despite the Angels having shut down the superstar for the rest of the season due to an oblique injury. While Ohtani’s essentially a lock to win the AL MVP, his future with the Angels remains uncertain as he becomes a free agent after the World Series.
As always, the odds tell a story, so let’s dive into the lines.
National League MVP*
Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves: –550 (bet $10 to win $11.82 total)
Mookie Betts, Dodgers: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)
Matt Olson, Braves: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Freddie Freeman, Dodgers: +12000 (bet $10 to win $1,210 total)
American League MVP*
Shohei Ohtani, Angels: -20000 (bet $10 to win $10.05)
Corey Seager, Rangers: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Julio Rodriguez, Mariners: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
*odds as of 9/18/2023
Shohei Ohtani has locked up the AL MVP despite heading to the IL
Ben Verlander touches on the latest Shohei Ohtani news.
Before going on the injured list, Ohtani was putting up stats in a manner that the game had not witnessed since Babe Ruth. He has been so good this year that his odds at FanDuel are -20000. The next closest player on the oddsboard is Seager at +2200.
One interesting update is that until Ohtani’s injury, sportsbooks had essentially pulled odds to win the AL MVP from their oddsboards. Despite Seager’s great season, this competition is probably a wrap.
When it comes to the NL, though, the race is much closer.
Acuña Jr. is the favorite to win the award as he is having a season for the ages. Only four players have made it to the 40/40 club in MLB history, and no player has done so with more than 46 stolen bases. Acuña Jr. is approaching rare company with 37 homers.
“Acuña is Acuña because he is this fast and this dynamic while also being one of the best hitters in the sport,” FOX Sports MLB Analyst Jordan Shusterman explained. “As remarkable as his fearlessness on the basepaths has been, it’s the degree to which his elite production at the plate has returned that makes him the National League MVP front-runner.”
However, Betts has entered the MVP picture. Betts is hitting .310 with 39 home runs and 103 RBIs. Acuña is hitting .337 with 37 homers and 98 RBIs.
Will Betts get the best of Acuña on the oddsboard by the end of the season?
Stay tuned to FOX Sports to keep up with the MVP race.
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