The MLB is less than a week away from the start of Spring Training and oddsmakers have released some of their individual player awards odds.
According to BetOnline, Los Angeles Angeles outfield Mike Trout is favored to win his fourth American League MVP Award at +225. He last won the award in 2019 when he hit 45 home runs, 104 RBIs, and a .291 batting average.
However, the AL MVP isn’t the only award with newly released odds. The National League MVP, as well as both Cy Young Awards, have had their odds released by BetOnline, too.
Read on to find out about the rest of the favorites, as well as some surprises.
MLB American League MVP Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, February 22
- Mike Trout +225
- Alex Bregman +1000
- Aaron Judge +1200
- Jose Ramirez +1200
- Anthony Rendon +1400
- Matt Chapman +1400
- DJ LeMahieu +1800
- George Springer +2200
- Gleyber Torres +2500
- Jose Abreu +2500
- Luis Robert +2500
It’s no surprise that sportsbooks are picking Trout to win the AL MVP Award again. Should he win his fourth, Trout would be the second player in MLB history to accomplish that accolade. The controversial Barry Bonds is the only other player to do and he has seven total.
BetOnline is listing House Astros 3B Alex Bregman as having the second-best odds. In 2019, Bregman finished second to Trout in AL MVP voting, losing by a slim margin (355 votes to 335).
Even though Chicago White Sox 3B Jose Abreu won last year’s AL MVP, his odds are tied for ninth this season. In a 60-game 2020 season, Abreu tallied 60 RBIs and batted .333 with runners on-base. The MLB is scheduled to play 162 games again this year, so it’ll be interesting to see if Abreu can have that success across a full season.
National League MVP Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, February 22
- Mookie Betts +650
- Cody Bellinger +750
- Juan Soto +750
- Fernando Tatis Jr. +800
- Nolan Arenado +1000
- Ronaldo Acuno +1000
- Christian Yelich +1200
- Corey Seager +1200
- Francisco Lindor +1200
- Freddie Freeman +1200
As of right now, BetOnline has the National League MVP race to be a lot closer than in the AL. LA Dodgers RF Mookie Betts leads the way as the favourite. In 2018, the same year he won his first World Series, Betts was the AL MVP. If he wins the NL MVP Award this year, Betts would become the second player in MLB history to win both MVP awards.
An interesting name to keep track of his Fernando Tatis Jr.. The 22-year-old just signed a 14-year, $340 million contract with the San Diego Padres. Is it mandatory that he wins the NL MVP this year? No, but he has to perform at an MVP-caliber level to show that he’s worth that much money. Last season, Tatis Jr. had 17 home runs and a .937 OPS in 224 at-bats.
Last year’s winner, Freddie Freeman, is tied for seventh-best odds at +1200.
MLB American League Cy Young Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, February 22
- Gerrit Cole +425
- Shane Bieber +475
- Lucas Giolito +500
- Tyler Glasnow +1000
- Chris Sale +1400
- Hyun-Jin Ryu +1400
- Corey Kluber +1600
- Jose Berrios +1600
- Lance Lynn +1800
- Kenta Maeda +2000
When the New York Yankees locked up Gerrit Cole with a nine-year, $324 million contract, they knew what they were getting. Cole has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB over the few years. After the Pittsburgh Pirates traded him in January 2018, Cole has had a 42-13 record and has not had an ERA above 2.88. It makes sense why sportsbooks would have him as the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award.
Shane Bieber (8-1, 1.63 ERA) won the 2020 AL Cy Young Award, edging out Kenta Maeda (6-1, 2.70 ERA) and Hyun Jin Ryu (5-2, 2.69 ERA) as the other finalists. If Bieber can post a stat line like that again, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his favorable odds getting even better.
National League Cy Young Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, February 22
- Jacob Degrom +450
- Trevor Bauer +600
- Max Scherzer +900
- Yu Darvish +900
- Blake Snell +1200
- Jack Flaherty +1200
- Luis Castillo +1200
- Walker Buehler +1200
- Aaron Nola +1400
- Clayton Kershaw +1600
While Trevor Bauer walked home with the NL Cy Young Award last season, he isn’t this year’s favorite. Instead, those honors go to Jacob deGrom. That’s not a slight against Bauer. After all, deGrom won back-to-back Cy Young awards with the New York Mets in 2018 and 2019. With an improved Mets team around him, deGrom could win his third in four years.
However, don’t count Bauer out. Despite having a 5-4 record last MLB season, Bauer had a career-low ERA of 1.73. He also had 100 strikeouts in 11 starts. He also led the league in strikeouts per 9IP with 14.1.
After spending the last three seasons in Chicago, Yu Darvish will play for the Padres this season. Last season, he was tied for most wins in the MLB with eight and walked just 14 batters.
