BREAKING NEWS: Yankees and Dodgers Stars Continue shocking AL and NL MVP Race
With the season nearing 50 games, the competition for the AL and NL MVP titles is beginning to solidify. Let’s examine the current MLB MVP odds for both leagues.
Many players are performing well this season, but winning the MVP award is extremely challenging. Everything needs to align perfectly, and typically, the player’s team must be one of the top teams in the MLB. At the season’s start, the Yankees and Dodgers had the leading contenders for the MVP, and this remains true as we move into mid-May.
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2024 American League MVP Winner Odds – Top 10
| Name | Odds | Odds in March |
| Juan Soto | +210 | +600 |
| Bobby Witt Jr | +250 | +1600 |
| Aaron Judge | +500 | +550 |
| Gunnar Henderson | +600 | +1800 |
| Kyle Tucker | +900 | +1800 |
| Adley Rutschman | +2500 | +1600 |
| Yordan Alvarez | +3500 | +1100 |
| Corey Seager | +5000 | +1000 |
| Julio Rodriguez | +5000 | +1000 |
| Jose Ramirez | +5000 | +2500 |
All stats were taken prior to play on May 17th
The AL MVP Favorites
The American League has five players with MVP odds under +1000, but two stand out as the clear favorites. Juan Soto has been leading this race all year.
Soto is currently hitting .302 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs, and an OPS of .920. Impressively, Soto ranks in the 96th percentile or higher in nine different categories on his Baseball Savant page. However, his oWAR of 1.8 is only eighth in the American League.
Bobby Witt is the other top contender and has seen his odds improve significantly, moving from +1600 to +250. Witt is making a strong case for the MVP, with a third-best oWAR of 2.1 in the AL. He’s hitting .293 with an OPS of .859 and has 15 stolen bases. His total WAR of 3.0 is the highest in the AL, making him a strong candidate for the MVP award.
Aaron Judge also deserves recognition. Despite a slow start, his stats have improved, and his odds have remained stable. Judge currently has an OPS of .948, 11 home runs, and a higher WAR than Soto. Although Soto might have slightly better overall numbers, Judge is the heart of the Yankees. If he continues performing well, he could be a strong contender for his second MVP award.
Biggest Movers
In addition to Bobby Witt Jr., two other players have significantly improved their MVP odds: Kyle Tucker and Gunnar Henderson. Personally, I’m rooting for Kyle Tucker since he was my preseason pick. Tucker is batting .280 with 13 home runs, leading the entire MLB, and 29 RBIs. He has more walks than strikeouts and boasts an OPS over 1.000, along with a 2.3 oWAR, which is the highest in the American League.
Gunnar Henderson, coming off his Rookie of the Year win in 2023, is having an equally impressive 2024 season. He is currently slugging .543, placing him 10th in the MLB. Henderson ranks second in the AL in oWAR and is a key player for a strong Baltimore Orioles team. Keep an eye on him as the season progresses.
2024 National League MVP Winner Odds – Top 10
| Name | Odds | Odds in March |
| Mookie Betts | +165 | +600 |
| Shohei Ohtani | +340 | +900 |
| William Contreras | +800 | +8000 |
| Bryce Harper | +1200 | +1200 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr | +1400 | +1000 |
| Elly De La Cruz | +1500 | +5000 |
| Ronald Acuna Jr | +2000 | +525 |
| Alec Bohm | +2000 | +15000 |
| Marcell Ozuna | +3000 | +20000 |
| Freddie Freeman | +5000 | +1100 |
Dodgers Dominating
The Dodgers are well-represented in the MVP race, with Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Shohei Ohtani making strong cases. Betts is hitting .343 with a .943 OPS and a 182 OPS+. He is tied with Ohtani for first in oWAR (3). While Betts’ power numbers are slightly down, he remains one of the best pure hitters in baseball and has three top-5 MVP finishes in the past four seasons. He aims to become the second player in MLB history to win MVP in both the AL and NL.
Interestingly, his teammate Shohei Ohtani might beat him to that milestone this season. Despite undergoing elbow surgery, Ohtani is excelling at the plate, living up to his record-breaking contract. He is batting .360 with 12 home runs, a 1.099 OPS, and an OPS+ of 209, tying for first in oWAR and ranking eighth in stolen bases.
Betts, starting at shortstop for the Dodgers, is favored due to his defensive contributions. However, Ohtani’s offensive performance could be so dominant that he might clinch the MVP award even as a DH-only player.
Biggest Movers
There have been several significant movers in the MVP race, but the most surprising and notable is William Contreras. Initially not a contender, Contreras has rapidly become a serious candidate.
He boasts a slash line of .359/.434/.553, with an impressive OPS+ of 182. His oWAR ranks third in the MLB, just behind Betts and Ohtani, and he has the fifth-best total WAR in the league. Contreras is making a strong case, so keep an eye on him as the season progresses.
Marcell Ozuna and Alec Bohm have also entered the top-10 after being overlooked in the preseason. Ozuna has the second-best OPS in the MLB and is batting .327 with 12 home runs, leading the league in RBIs. Bohm, while not a power hitter, is batting .333 with a .921 OPS and has a 2.0 WAR so far.
On the other hand, Ronald Acuña Jr. has been trending downwards. Once an early favorite for NL MVP, Acuña is now struggling, batting just .245 with an OPS below .700. He has three home runs and 11 RBIs but has been striking out frequently. For those who bet on Acuña for NL MVP, the outlook is not promising.
My Predictions
At the beginning of the season, I picked Kyle Tucker and Matt Olson to win the MVP awards. I still stand by my pick of Kyle Tucker for AL MVP. His power numbers are impressive, and the Astros are likely to improve as the season progresses. For the NL MVP, I’m opting for the straightforward choice of Mookie Betts. Regardless of who wins, it seems likely that history will be made with this year’s NL MVP winner.