MLB Rookie of the Year Odds 2025: AL & NL Favorites, Predictions

The 2024 MLB season featured an exciting Rookie of the Year race in both the American League and National League.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes claimed the honor in the NL, establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the sport. He went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, recording 170 strikeouts in 133 innings.

New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil earned the same accolade in the AL after posting a 15-7 record with a 3.50 ERA. He struck out 171 batters in 151 2/3 innings of work.

Based on the preseason MLB odds in the spring, both players were long shots in this market. Skenes started with a +3000 value, while Gil was off the board in the preseason and as long as 50/1 in the spring.

Will the Rookie of the Year competition be just as thrilling in 2025?

AL Rookie of the Year Odds 2025: Favorites

Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell has grabbed an early lead as the AL Rookie of the Year favorite, trading at +210 odds for an implied probability of 32.26% to win the award. He opened as long as 11/1 in January, when I originally highlighted him as my favorite value play in this market.

Campbell has looked ready for the majors right away, which is probably why the Red Sox felt comfortable giving him an eight-year, $60 million extension on April 2.

However, this AL Rookie of the Year class is loaded with talent.

Jacob Wilson (Athletics SS) and Jasson Dominguez (Yankees OF) are +650 or better. Will Warren (Yankees SP), Roman Anthony (Red Sox OF), Cameron Smith (Astros OF), and Jack Leiter (Rangers SP) are all 20/1 or better.

I wouldn’t blame anyone for looking at one of the top names, but I’ll wait to see if there is better value down the road.

After finding a 50/1 price tag on Gil last spring, I’m only interested in long shots at this point in the season.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson stands out as my favorite long shot, especially at his current 50/1 odds. Simpson will be the fastest player in the league as soon as he makes his MLB debut.

Simpson, who was drafted in the second round in 2022, stole 104 bases in the minors last year. ZiPS, a projection system at FanGraphs, has Simpson recording 52 stolen bases in 117 games for the Rays this year, finishing only behind Elly De La Cruz (53) in that market.

While I understand why Simpson’s odds to lead the league in stolen bases might be tempting, I prefer the better value on him to win AL Rookie of the Year. His MLB debut might come later in the spring, but Simpson is my favorite dark horse in the ROY market this season.

Prediction: Chandler Simpson (+5000)

NL Rookie of the Year Odds 2025: Favorites

There has also been a change at the top of the NL Rookie of the Year odds board, with Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews overtaking Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki as the betting favorite.

Despite his status as the favorite, Crews’ odds have only moved from +300 to +275 since the preseason. That tells me that this year’s NL ROY race could be wide open, especially since it doesn’t have the same level of star power as the AL.

Sasaki was supposed to be the star of this group, becoming the latest Dodgers starter to begin as the betting favorite in this market. Yoshinobu Yamamoto opened with +250 odds in 2024 after signing a 12-year, $325 million contract. Sasaki entered 2025 with a +300 value to win the award after making the leap from Nippon Professional Baseball to MLB via a much cheaper deal during the international signing period.

Like Yamamoto, Sasaki has gotten off to a slow start in his debut campaign. But he clearly doesn’t possess the same level of upside at this point in his career.

As a result, I’m interested in backing long shots in a wide-open race.

New York Mets’ Luisangel Acuña, younger brother of Ronald Acuña Jr., is a name to watch in this market. Like his older brother, Acuña is a threat on the base paths and proved it by stealing 40-plus bags in four straight years in the minors.

If he can maintain a regular role for one of the best teams in baseball, Acuña is worth consideration at these odds.

Prediction: Luisangel Acuña (+4000)

2024 AL Rookie of the Year Voting

2024 NL Rookie of the Year Voting

List of AL & NL Rookie of the Year Winners

*There was only one award for both leagues in 1947 and 1948.

MLB Teams With Most Rookie of the Year Awards

The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have the most Rookie of the Year Awards (18):

Dodgers: 18
Yankees: 10
Braves: 9
Athletics: 8
Orioles: 8
Reds: 8

Has a Rookie Ever Won the Cy Young Award?

Only one rookie has won the Cy Young Award: Fernando Valenzuela.

Valenzuela was a 21-year-old rookie for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981 when he led the MLB in strikeouts and lead the Dodgers to the World Series.

Has an MLB Rookie Ever Won MVP?

Two rookies have won MVP: Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki.

Lynn won AL MVP in 1975 after leading the Boston Red Sox to 95 regular-season wins and a World Series appearance in the World Series. Ichiro won AL MVP in 2001 as the Seattle Mariners tied the MLB record for most wins in a season (116).