With the MLB season over a month old, it’s time to start looking at who the public likes in both the NL and AL MVP races.
MLB odds are tightly bunched in both leagues and just like MLB World Series odds, these will continue to change as the season goes on.
Here’s how things look as of May 9.
American League MVP
Staring in the American League, Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went into the year as the odds on favorites to win the award, but there’s some been some surprise entries that have jumped into the picture early on.
The top-three players with the best odds to win the award are currently Ohtani at +350, Mike Trout at +400, and Guerrero Jr. at +450, but Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees at +850 and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins at +1200 have seen their odds climb into the top 5 after the season’s first month.
BYRON BUXTON IS TIED FOR THE MLB LEAD IN HOMERS pic.twitter.com/aoTOqZnD8N
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 7, 2022
Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox might not be in the top-5 current favorites, but he’s drawing plenty of interest, currently having the highest ticket percentage at 15.5% at the BetMGM online sportsbook. Robert is followed by Guerrero Jr. at 14%, and Buxton at 11% in regard to tickets.
The White Sox outfielder is also drawing a big handle, sitting with the fourth-highest at 10%. Leading the charge in handle percentage is Guerrero Jr. at 18.9%, with Trout behind him at 12.9% and Rafael Devers at 12.3%.
Wander Franco, the sophomore shortstop with Tampa Bay is an interesting name to follow, garnering 8.5% of tickets and 7.7% of the handle.
| Player | Opening Odds | Current Odds | Ticket% | Handle% |
| Luis Robert | +3000 | +2500 | 15.5% | 10.0% |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | +450 | +450 | 14.0% | 18.9% |
| Byron Buxton | +4000 | +1200 | 11.0% | 8.0% |
| Wander Franco | +2000 | +2000 | 8.5% | 7.7% |
| Shohei Ohtani | +350 | +350 | 6.7% | 8.3% |
| Aaron Judge | +2000 | +850 | 5.4% | 3.1% |
| Jose Ramirez | +2500 | +1200 | 5.2% | 6.4% |
| Mike Trout | +400 | +400 | 4.9% | 12.9% |
| Rafael Devers | +2000 | +3000 | 4.6% | 12.3% |
| Kyle Tucker | +3500 | +5000 | 3.8% | 2.4% |
National League MVP
Juan Soto, the Washington Nationals transcendent outfielder, opened the year as the NL favorite to win MVP at +400.
After the first month of the season, Soto is now sitting with the third-highest odds at +700, which has seen him get leapfrogged by Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals and Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres at +600.
Both Arenado and Machado are off to tremendous starts to their seasons, with both players also boasting the second and third-highest ticket percentages at 9.8% and 7.9%.
Bryce Harper put up big numbers last season and that’s been reflected in the early betting market, which is why he’s boasting the highest interest right now in ticket and handle percentage.
Harper currently owns 14.8% of the tickets for the NL MVP this year.
The Padres infielder has a higher handle percentage than the Cardinals gold glove third basemen though, with him boasting 11.4% of the handle, while Arenado is at 7.9%. That number has Machado with the second-highest handle, which is currently led by Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies at 12.7%.
The top 5 in handle finishes up with Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs at 7.4%, and Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves at 7%.
Trea Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers hasn’t gotten off to a banner start, but he’s still owning 4.3% of tickets and 1.9% of the handle, with odds at +1600.
| Player | Opening Odds | Current Odds | Ticket% | Handle% |
| Bryce Harper | +1000 | +1500 | 14.8% | 12.7% |
| Nolan Arenado | +3000 | +600 | 9.8% | 7.9% |
| Manny Machado | +3500 | +600 | 7.9% | 11.4% |
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | +1000 | +1000 | 6.1% | 7.0% |
| Juan Soto | +375 | +700 | 4.9% | 5.2% |
| Trea Turner | +1600 | +1600 | 4.3% | 1.9% |
| Seiya Suzuki | Off the board | +3500 | 4.2% | 7.4% |
| Matt Olson | Off the board | +2000 | 4.0% | 4.9% |
| Pete Alonso | +4000 | +2500 | 3.8% | 5.7% |
| Mookie Betts | +1000 | +1800 | 3.7% | 4.1% |
MLB Betting at BetMGM
At the sportsbook, you can bet on baseball throughout the year. From run lines and live sports betting to World Series odds and player props, the best MLB betting experience is at BetMGM.
