Now that we are deep into summer, it’s time to take a deeper look at the MLB AL and NL MVP betting favorites.

Remarkably as we head for the trade deadline, both MVP races appear to be already decided. Given that we are down to the final third of the season, let’s focus on the top three players in each league, as this offers the best chance to actually pick a winner.

Can Shohei Ohtani keep up this blistering pace? Will Ronald Acuña Jr. reach 40/40 and run away with the NL MVP? 

Do any of the fringe contenders have a chance? Or are the MVP races all wrapped up before the end of July?

Let’s dive into the odds for the AL and NL MVP front-runners:

American League MVP*

Shohei Ohtani: -1000 (bet $10 to win $11 total)
Kyle Tucker: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Corey Seager: +3400 (bet $10 to win $350 total)

National League MVP

Ronald Acuña Jr.: -450 (bet $10 to win $12.22 total) 
Freddie Freeman: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Mookie Betts: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)

*odds as of 7/26/2023

Shohei Ohtani is on a remarkable run this season, both at the plate and on the mound. He is putting up stats in a manner that the game has not witnessed since Babe Ruth was in his prime. While it remains to be seen which team he ends up with by the end of the season, the fact remains the AL MVP trophy is his for the taking. That is unless he goes to the National League, in which case, the betting markets will be all out of sorts. 

FOX Sports Betting Analyst Sam Panayotovich writes, “The AL MVP recalibration without Ohtani would be an exercise unlike any other since the explosion of sports betting.”

Basically, unless you think Ohtani is headed to the NL, there is not a lot of value in betting on him at this point. 

Ronald Acuña Jr. is also having a year for the ages, as he currently has 23 home runs and 46 stolen bases this season. Remember, only four players have made it to the 40/40 club in MLB history, and no player has done so with more than 46 stolen bases. Acuña Jr. is in rare company indeed.

“Acuña is Acuña because he is this fast and this dynamic while also being one of the best hitters in the sport,” FOX Sports MLB Analyst Jordan Shusterman wrote. “As remarkable as his fearlessness on the basepaths has been, it’s the degree to which his elite production at the plate has returned that makes him the National League MVP front-runner.”

Again, while he does offer more value than Ohtani, Acuña is a heavy favorite to win the NL MVP.

Stay tuned to FOX Sports for all of your sporting needs. 

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