Wagers on MLB MVP odds are still a great option as division titles and wild-card spots are up for grabs in the National and American Leagues. All of the best MLB sportsbooks offer Most Valuable Player betting options.
Shohei Ohtani has UCL tear in his right elbow that ended his season on the mound, but he can still hit and remains a runaway favorite in the AL.
If you placed an early wager on Mookie Betts, your sportsbook might be a little nervous for the next month or so. The Ronald Acuña Jr. National League MVP campaign is looking far less certain than it did for much of the season.
The MLB MVP awards are based on player performance, but team success does matter. Be sure to check the stats, standings, and World Series odds before you place a baseball MVP bet.
MLB MVP Contenders This Week
Shohei Ohtani () is favored in 2023 to take back MVP honors in the AL. Even with an elbow injury ending his time on the mound, it’s hard to see anyone else take home the honors in the junior circuit. Astros OF Kyle Tucker () caught up with Texas Rangers SS Corey Seager () in recent weeks.
The Braves and the Dodgers are running away with their divisions, so it makes sense that each team’s best players have some of the shortest odds for MVP.
Atlanta OF Ronald Acuña Jr. () remains the clear favorite in the National League. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts () essentially became a co-favorite as the calendar flipped to September.
Both top NL contenders have teammates at first base who are next in line. Freddie Freeman () of the Dodgers and Matt Olson () of the Braves have much longer odds than the top two.
He missed a big part of the season, but Bryce Harper odds () are on the rise since his return as a DH on May 2. He had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, so that’s kept him out of right field for the Phillies.
2023 MLB MVP Odds
Use the drop-down menu below to select your state and see Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and MLB MVP odds.
**MLB MVP odds are updated regularly
In states with legal sports betting, fans will see baseball MVP betting odds surge and fade during the back end of the 162-game schedule.
Unlike the quarterback-heavy NFL MVP odds race, baseball’s highest honor doesn’t favor a specific position — although position players usually have an edge over pitchers.
MLB MVP Betting Odds — The Favorites
Odds adjust as the season goes on and as players rise to the occasion or struggle. The odds for the current top candidates for AL MVP and NL MVP are as follows:
**Live odds are updated regularly
Baseball MVP Dark Horses
Here, we take a look at dark horse picks who could work their way into the MVP conversations.
National League MVP Odds
NL MVP odds are a toss-up once we get past the top five contenders. Most players on the “best of the rest” list were +15000 or longer.
- More Dodgers and Braves — Sportsbooks have shorter odds for some of their teammates, but 3B Austin Riley () of the Braves as well as Dodgers 3B Max Muncy () might collect some votes on MVP ballots.
- Shortstops — Willy Adames () of the Brewers and Xander Bogaerts () of the Padres get some mention outside the top five.
- Outfielders — Cubs OF Cody Bellinger () and Fernando Tatis Jr. () of the Padres are each trying to keep their teams in the hunt for a playoff spot. If their play sparks a hot streak, their spot in NL MVP odds could rise as well.
- Fading fast — Padres OF Juan Soto () was the NL favorite at the start of the season, but slow starts by him and the team knocked him down the list. Last year’s winner, Paul Goldschmidt () is also farther down the list. So is Brewers OF Christian Yelich (). Miami’s Luis Arráez () was hitting above .400 for a good share of the spring. The batting average is closer to .350, but Miami’s playoff chances are looking better with a strong start to September.
American League MVP Odds
Really, everyone is a dark horse based on the Ohtani AL MVP odds. A few AL players outside the top three are having great seasons. There are about a dozen long shots with similar odds so we’ll look at them by position.
- Catcher — Salvador Perez () of the Royals
- First Base — Nathaniel Lowe () of the Rangers
- Second Base — Marcus Semien () of the Rangers, Gleyber Torres () of the Yankees and Brandon Lowe () of the Tampa Bay Rays
- Shortstop — Jorge Mateo () of the Orioles, Bo Bichette () of the Blue Jays, Jeremy Pena () of the Astros, and Carlos Correa () of the Twins
- Outfielders — George Springer () of the Blue Jays, Teoscar Hernandez () of the Mariners, and Byron Buxton () of the Twins
- Designated Hitter — Giancarlo Stanton () of the Yankees
MLB MVP Betting Odds — Latest News
- Sept. 6 — Bryce Harper has moved into a top-five position among NL MVP contender odds. He hit his 300th career home run on Aug. 30, but his improved odds may be more of a reflection of his team’s success. The Phillies are comfortably in the top spot of the NL Wild Card race.
- Sept. 1 — NL MVP odds shifted significantly near the end of August. Ronald Acuña Jr. has lost some ground to Mookie Betts. In the AL, Shohei Ohtani is holding on to DH duties so he remains a firm MVP favorite.
- Aug. 24 — Runaway AL MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani is done pitching for the year. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow early on in an Aug. 23 game against the Reds. He’s also one of baseball’s best hitters, but the Angels are weighing whether Ohtani will hit again this season.
- Aug. 16 — Wander Franco is on the restricted list as Major League Baseball investigates a possible relationship between the Rays shortstop and a younger woman. He isn’t on the team roster at the moment.
- Aug. 9 — Keep an eye on Ronald Acuña Jr. odds. A pitch hit him in the left elbow on Aug. 8. Fortunately for Braves fans, the X-rays were negative and he is considered day-to-day.
- July 22 — The Rangers put All-Star SS Corey Seager on the IL with a sprained right thump. That caused his odds to slip amount the AL MVP contenders.
- July 20 — FanDuel added some new betting options for MLB player awards. They set “Ronald Acuña Jr. to Win NL MVP & Spencer Strider to Win NL Cy Young” at +390. A second betting option features “Corbin Carroll to Win NL Rookie of the Year & Zac Gallen to Win NL Cy” at +370.
- July 11 — Corbin Carroll is back in the top five for NL MVP odds. The All-Star Break should give several stars time to heal.
- July 7 — Shohei Ohtani is still an overwhelming favorite for AL MVP but his price tumbled a bit. A finger blister will push his next pitching start back until after the All-Star Break. He is still in the lineup at DH, but his moneyline went from -1450 to -750 at FanDuel. In the NL, Arizona OF Corbin Carroll dropped out of the markets at FanDuel after leaving games twice in the same week with a right shoulder injury. He was +950 before the July 4 holiday.
- June 28 — The AL MVP race experienced a seismic shift within the past week. Aaron Judge has tumbled from second to 13th in odds after the team confirmed a ligament tear in his right big toe. The Yankees don’t know when he can return. Shohei Ohtani was already a runaway favorite for AL MVP. With the Judge injury, Ohtani’s odds at the end of June went from -550 to a whopping -1450.
- June 23 — Pete Alonso is back after being hit in the wrist by a pitch earlier this month. He slugged a home run for the Mets upon his return. Tampa Bay Rays SS Wander Franco was directed to the bench at midweek by Kevin Cash. Franco’s frustrating moments have gotten in the way of team success, according to the manager.
- June 16 — Yordan Alvarez was pulled from the Astros’ June 8 game against the Blue Jays with an oblique strain. He’ll be out at least four more weeks, according to the team. Over in the NL, Pete Alonso of the Mets was hit on the wrist by a pitch — a day earlier on June 7. The bone bruise and sprain will keep him sidelined for at least two more weeks.
- June 2 — Alvarez moved up to third in AL MVP odds, while Freddie Freeman is the second choice among NL contenders. Shohei Ohtani (AL) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (NL) still have the shortest odds by far.
MLB MVP Predictions & Best Bets
Now, we get into the MLB MVP betting favorites. Ohtani and Acuna Jr. are clearcut favorites, which leaves plenty of value on the board for other MVP candidates.
AL MVP Odds Leaders
Shohei Ohtani ()
The LA Angels rotation anchor and DH slugger could be part of a trade deadline blockbuster if the Angels don’t think they can sign him in the offseason. Ohtani was the 2021 AL MVP and it took a record-setting performance from 2022 AL winner Aaron Judge to wrest him from the throne. He is an excellent pitcher with power at the plate. Ohtani might be the best player we’ve seen since Barry Bonds.
Kyle Tucker ()
The Astros outfielder is doing a little bit of everything, with an average of around .300, and some decent power. He’s been with the team for six seasons and earned a Gold Glove at his position in 2022. Tucker’s production has been a boost for Houston as the team holds down a spot in the tightly-packed AL Wild Card race.
Corey Seager ()
The Rangers SS is climbing in American League MVP odds and he’s just a step behind his fellow middle infielder in Arlington. He’s above .330 in batting average and Texas has been a fixture atop the AL West standings. Seager has a full trophy case with his NLCS and World Series MVP awards from the 2020 shortened season. He was also the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year.
Bo Bichette ()
A top-5 batting average and top-25 power have Bo Bichette on the list of MVP candidates as well. The Blue Jays shortstop is into his fifth season with the team. He should be a fixture in Toronto for the near future. The team signed him to a three-year pact in February.
Marcus Semien ()
The Rangers 2B is near the top of the league in RBIs and his near-.300 batting average has helped push Texas to the top of the AL West standings. He won both the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. This is his second season with the Rangers.
Luis Robert Jr. ()
The Chicago White Sox OF burst onto the scene with a Gold Glove in the shortened 2020 season. He hit the 25 HR mark before the All-Star Break in his third season with the team. Chicago’s AL team likely won’t contend in 2023, but Robert Jr. might be a piece to build around in years ahead.
Randy Arozarena ()
Randy Arozarena has made a steady climb up FanDuel’s list of contenders. The outfielder from Cuba flirted with the .300 mark at the start of June while slugging 11 home runs. Teammate Wander Franco has more hits, but Arozarena is closer to the team lead in RBIs.
Wander Franco ()
The Rays star shortstop has been a big part of Tampa Bay Rays red-hot start over the first 60 games of the season. He’s near the top of the league in stolen bases and he’s getting on base a lot with his .300 batting average in mid-June.
Adley Rutschman ()
The Orioles are off to a hot start and their legacy prospect is a big part of the success. If the three months of baseball is any indication, Rutschman is a lock for MLB All-Star consideration. The young catcher is flirting with a .300 batting average from the No. 2 spot in the batting order for Baltimore.
Yandy Diaz ()
A third Rays longshot also has a place in the AL MVP odds. Yandy Diaz came over to the Rays after two seasons in Cleveland. The first baseman leads the team with a batting average near the .300 mark. He’s also in a tight race for the team lead in home runs.
José Ramírez ()
The Cleveland Guardians 3B is hitting near .300, had double-figures in home runs and has some of the best RBI numbers in the league. He has four Silver Slugger awards (2017-18, 2020, and 2022) in his 11 years with the team. Cleveland is in the weak AL Central and a playoff run could boost Ramírez’s MVP campaign.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ()
Toronto’s power hitter at 1B had to sit out the World Baseball Classic after his right knee flared up during spring training. The decision not to tax the aching limb may have been a good one, as Guerrero Jr. has held his spot on the list of AL MVP contenders at FanDuel. He’s hitting with steady power with a solid batting average through the first 100 games. Everyone is chasing the Rays and Orioles, but Toronto has a winning record as well.
NL MVP Odds Leaders
Ronald Acuña Jr. ()
The 2018 Rookie of the Year may need to make room in his trophy case. The Atlanta Braves outfielder got off to a slow start with a leg injury in 2022, but he’s healthy and helped Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic in 2023. He was an MLB All-Star and Home Run Derby participant a season ago. Acuña finished 2022 with a .266/15 HR/50 RBI line.
Mookie Betts ()
With 111 wins, the LA Dodgers had one of the top five regular seasons in baseball history. Mookie Betts was a big part of the success. The outfielder reached his sixth All-Star Game in 2022. He set a career-high with 35 home runs, finished with a .269 batting average and plated 82 RBIs.
Freddie Freeman ()
A 20-game hitting streak can certainly improve your MVP odds, and the Dodgers 1B has passed Mookie Betts as the team’s best shot at the award. His batting average is about .333, which is second in all of Major League Baseball. Add 31 walks and count 11 home runs among the hits. The numbers add up to a surge in the betting odds.
Juan Soto ()
The San Diego Padres acquired Juan Soto in a blockbuster trade deadline deal in 2022. His numbers tailed off a bit as he adjusted to his new home but May 2023 might be a turning point. He’s hitting much better lately and sportsbooks expect the patient left fielder with power to display his generational talent for the rest of the season.
Bryce Harper ()
The Philadelphia Phillies star missed more than a month of the season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery and they’ve used him at DH until he can safely make throws from his usual outfield position. He is flirting with a .300 average since his return.
Matt Olson ()
The Braves lead the NL East and 1B Matt Olson has been a key to the team’s success. The former Oakland A’s star pairs a solid batting average with some power. Both Olson and Acuña Jr. will continue to have short odds if Atlanta continues to dominate their division.
Paul Goldschmidt ()
Last year’s MVP and the Cardinals are finally getting on track in 2023. The St. Louis 1B is a hot streak away from a .300 batting average and he leads the team in on-base percentage. The Cards went 15-8 from May 7 to the end of the month, but the team has slumped a bit to start the month of June. If the team gets back on track, Goldschmidt might climb in the MVP pecking order as well.
Fernando Tatis Jr. ()
A broken wrist and PED suspension cost Tatis Jr. all of 2022 and the first few weeks of 2023, but he’s back. The Padres star has been a bright spot in a sluggish offense and flashed Gold Glove potential in right field, where he uses his elite athleticism to chase down drives. Sportsbooks like FanDuel feel his numbers will only go up from here.
Luis Arraez ()
The Marlins are on a tear as of late and Miami’s Luis Arraez was off to a historic start at the 1/3 mark of the season. He hit .403 through the first 63 games of the season, but the pace has cooled a bit. If he returns to that improbable pace, the Miami 2B would be first player to qualify with a .400 average since Ted Williams in the 1941 season.
Christian Yelich ()
The 2018 MVP is slowly climbing the odds to repeat the feat in 2023. Milwaukee’s OF is hitting for power and average. He’s a three-time Silver Slugger award winner, has a Gold Glove from the 2014 season and won back-to-back Hank Aaron awards as the best overall offensive performer in each league.
Corbin Carroll ()
The Diamondbacks outfielder is an overwhelming frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year and he’s getting some MVP attention as well. Carroll led the team in home runs and batting average for the first half of the season, but a shoulder injury has created some doubt. Arizona’s fast start has fans excited in the desert.
How To Bet On Major League Baseball MVP Odds
It helps to sign up for multiple sportsbook accounts because futures bets in particular can vary greatly from one app or site to another.
Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you want to make a $100 bet on Freddie Freeman to win the NL MVP.
- For this example, the Dodgers first baseman is listed at +400 at FanDuel, so you’d win $400 in profit there.
- At DraftKings, however, Freeman is +600 so you’d net $600 in profit on your $100 bet there.
That $200 difference is a great reason to explore all of your options.
It works the other way too, by the way. FanDuel had a much better payout on Luis Arráez on Aug. 9 odds (+20000) than DraftKings (+10000) on Aug. 9. So, if you’re going to play the long odds with an Arráez bet, FanDuel would double the payout if you’re right.
You’ll even find different odds to back the NL frontrunner as of Aug. 9. A -550 moneyline means you’d have to risk $550 to win a $100 Ronald Acuña Jr. bet at FanDuel. Meanwhile, at DraftKings, you’d have to risk $1,000 to win $100 using their -1000 odds.
So, take some time to find the best moneyline possible.
We can help you find the best MLB betting offers and the fastest sportsbook payouts to pair with the best MLB odds.
Best Sportsbook Apps For MLB MVP Odds
The MLB MVP betting lines typically open with similar numbers at most sportsbooks. But once books start taking bets on games and futures, the MLB MVP lines are going to change. That is why it is a recommended practice to shop for the best line for the AL and NL MVP odds.
As for which book you should go with — whichever one gives you the best odds for the player you want to bet on. Let’s say you want to bet on Trea Turner to win NL MVP. Rather than go with BetMGM where his odds might be +700 at one time, you should go with FanDuel where his hypothetical odds were +1100 instead.
In another past example, if you’d want to bet on Julio Rodriguez to win AL MVP, you are better off going with PointsBet where his odds might be +900 rather than Caesars where they may have been set a +800.
Where To Find AL And NL MVP Odds
Finding a sportsbook that is taking bets on the AL and NL MVPs is not hard to do. As long as the state has legalized sports betting and books are taking bets, you will be able to put money down on baseball MVPs. Note: Not all states allow off-the-field award bets. In those states, prop bets like “NL or AL home run leader in 2023” will still be an option.
These states (plus Washington, DC) can take your MVP or MLB player prop bets.
- Arizona sports betting
- Arkansas sports betting
- Colorado sports betting
- Connecticut sports betting
- Delaware sports betting
- Illinois sports betting
- Indiana sports betting
- Iowa sports betting
- Kansas sports betting
- Kentucky sports betting
- Louisiana sports betting
- Maine sports betting
- Maryland sports betting
- Massachusetts sports betting
- Michigan sports betting
- Mississippi sports betting
- Montana sports betting
- Nevada sports betting
- New Hampshire sports betting
- New Jersey sports betting
- New York sports betting
- North Carolina sports betting
- Ohio sports betting
- Oregon sports betting
- Pennsylvania sports betting
- Rhode Island sports betting
- Tennessee sports betting
- Vermont sports betting
- Virginia sports betting
- Washington DC sports betting
- Washington sports betting
- West Virginia sports betting
- Wyoming sports betting
New Mexico and North Dakota and Wisconsin sports betting is an option through tribal casinos. Mississippi and South Dakota offer online sports betting but only on-site at licensed casinos.
AL And NL MVP Futures Betting
It is not unusual for a sportsbook to post odds for the AL and NL MVP of one season shortly after or even before the MVPs of the current season are named. But most (if not all) sportsbooks will have AL and NL MVP odds posted months ahead of the start of the season.
During the offseason, the odds may change depending on player movement. But what affects the odds the most (in-season or during the off-season) is how much money gets placed on certain players. If a book feels like it is taking too much money on a player, it will change the odds to make him a less-enticing bet.
Overall, the odds do not change much until the season starts and a few players begin to stand out from the rest.
AL MVP Betting Recap From Last Season
Fans will remember 2022 as one of the most intriguing races for the American League MVP award. The season featured phenomenal performances from Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Angels pitcher/DH Shohei Ohtani.
Judge took 28 of 30 first-place votes and it took a historic season at the plate to offset Ohtani’s contributions on the mound and in the batter’s box. Judge produced just that by setting the AL home run record with 62 round-trippers. He also led the majors in:
- Runs (133)
- RBIs (131)
- On-base percentage (.425)
- slugging percentage (.686)
- OPS (1.111)
- OPS+ (211)
- and total bases (391).
Judge only missed five games while earning the fourth All-Star selection and third Silver Slugger Award in 2022.
NL MVP Betting Recap From Last Season
The NL MVP award came down to three players with St. Louis Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt collecting 22 of 30 first-place votes. San Diego Padres 3B Manny Machado finished second with seven first-base votes. Goldschmidt’s teammate, Nolan Arenado, finished third. The Cardinals 3B picked up a first-place vote as well.
Goldschmidt led the senior circuit in OPS (.981) and slugging (.578). He finished second in WAR (7.8) and on-base percentage (.404).
He also put up top-five numbers in batting average (.317), home runs (35) and RBIs (115).
No two franchises have produced more MVPs than the Yankees (21) and the Cardinals (18). Does that bode well for 2023?
With a new season on the horizon, let’s take a look at the MVP odds for the current season.
World Series MVP Odds 2023
When it comes to the World Series odds, anything and everything is fair game for the sports betting market. World Series MVP predictions and odds will typically start to surface around the time the playoffs get underway.
That way, oddsmakers do not need to factor in every team, just the ones in the postseason.
Odds will typically favor players from the team(s) favored to win the World Series. At the start of the postseason, that will be the star players from the team with the most regular-season wins from the AL and NL.
As teams get eliminated from the playoffs, their players get removed from the list. The odds will then shift to focus on the best players from the top remaining teams. They will not always align with the AL and NL MVP odds since players from losing teams can be in the picture.
But for the World Series MVP, it can only be players from teams in the postseason.
Take Mike Trout’s AL MVP history as an example. Throughout his career, he has been at the forefront of the AL MVP conversation in every season he remained relatively healthy. But since the Angels have not qualified for the postseason, he has never had World Series MVP odds.
How To Bet On The MLB MVP
Do you think you know who is going to win the AL or NL MVP this season? Are you confident enough to put money on it? If so, here is how you should go about betting on either the AL or NL MVP (or both):
- Review the odds at several sportsbooks to see who offers the best odds on whoever you want to bet on.
- Register for an account with that online sportsbook. To do so, click on the ‘sign-up button on the home screen and fill out the registration page(s) with the requested personnel information. Do not forget to enter the promo code for the welcome bonus (if needed).
- Make your first deposit.
- Navigate to the sportsbook’s NFL MVP page and find the player you want to bet on. Click on him to open a betting slip.
- Fill out the slip with the amount of money you wish to bet and click “place bet.”
Analyze MLB MVP Odds with the Gaming Today Futures Calculator
Other MLB Player Awards
Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. are pulling away in their league MVP races in 2023, so you have to risk a lot of cash if you want to bet on the favorites. Likewise, bets on anyone other than Ohtani and Acuña Jr. have big payouts, but there is a reason for that. They are all sizable long shots.
So consider other awards bets with better odds too. The NL and the AL Cy Young and MLB Rookie of the Year odds can be worth a look.
MLB Cy Young Odds
MLB Rookie of the Year Odds
MLB MVP Odds FAQ
The AL and NL MVP awards are voted on by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
The votes for the AL and NL MVP awards take place after the conclusion of the regular season, but before the playoffs begin. The winners are not announced until after the World Series.
You can find Vegas AL and NL MVP odds right here on this page. Gaming Today provides odds from the top online sports betting apps for each of the major futures betting markets across professional sports. Vegas odds can also be retrieved in-person at retail sportsbooks.
Yes, betting on the AL and NL MVP awards is legal online in most states with legal sports betting. However, some states limit bets to on-the-field, statistic-based wagers. If you can’t bet on the opinion-based MVP winners, you’ll still be able to bet on the league leader in home runs, strikeouts, RBIs, etc.
The oddsmakers of each respective sportsbook set the AL and NL MVP odds. After posting the opening odds, they will adjust them as needed throughout the offseason and regular season.
You can place a bet for AL and NL MVP as soon as the opening odds get posted. This may be as early as right before or after the current season’s MVP is named but is certainly possible months ahead of the start of the season.
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