The 2021 Major League Baseball campaign began on Thursday, April 1 and now a full 162-game regular season is about to wrap up. The return to a full schedule has helped player production return to normal levels; as such, stat lines haven’t been impacted as heavily by exaggerated hot or cold stretches at the plate. With that in mind, we look current MLB betting odds to win the American League and National League MVP awards with just a few games remaining.
MLB MVP odds
Click on the odds you like below to place your bet.
For more MVP odds go to DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and BetMGM.
AL MVP futures report (Sept. 30)
The Favorite
Shohei Ohtani (): Ohtani’s MVP odds dipped briefly after a rough outing in Houston, but he quickly silenced any detractors with consecutive 10-strikeout performances against the A’s and Mariners as those clubs are trying to make the playoffs. With 45 HRs, 26 SB, and a 9-2 record over 130.1 IP, Ohtani has put up a season that is unlike any other in modern MLB history.
Notable longshot
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (): The Blue Jays are still in the thick of a tight race for the A.L. Wild Card spots and Guerrero Jr. might still be able to challenge Ohtani for MVP if he can lead his club into the postseason. The 22-year-old slugger has a slight lead on Ohtani with 46 HRs and his .313/.403/.597 slash line exceeds Ohtani’s production at the plate. Of course, he doesn’t pitch, and he’s struggled a bit – by his standards – over the past couple weeks.
NL MVP futures report (Sept. 30)
The Favorite
Bryce Harper (): The Phillies aren’t going to catch the Braves for the N.L. East title, but the fact that they were in the race until late September speaks to Harper’s production in the second half of the season. The lefty slugger is slashing .336/.480/.712 with 19 HRs and 64 BB over 69 games since the All-Star break. Harper appears to be on pace to earn the second MVP award of his career.
Notable longshots
Juan Soto (): Since the other favorites for N.L. MVP are also out of the playoff picture, Soto is earning consideration despite playing for a last-place team. The Nats sold off many of their best players at the trade deadline, which has left Soto exposed, but the 22-year-old lefty continues to mash with a .404/.565/.691 slash line in September.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (): While his ongoing shoulder injury provides an excuse, Tatis Jr. has not produced offensively on the same level as Harper. He’s hitting .290 with 12 HRs and 5 SB since the All-Star break and has found a rhythm with a .314/.392/.514 slash line this month.
Best MVP betting sites
Where can I bet on the MLB MVP Award?
All legal sportsbooks in the US offer a wide-array of MLB futures bets, including DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and PointsBet. These can be found under the primary MLB/Baseball tab at all online books. Select “MVP odds” under the drop-down menu or tab for MLB Futures and Player Futures or Awards.
Once the MVP award odds have been selected, a list of all available betting options will display the players your book of choice deems to have a chance at winning the MVP in their respective league. At the beginning of the season, all available options will be offered at plus-money (usually ranging from Trout’s +220 to Toronto Blue Jays OF Teoscar Hernandez’s +10000 pre-season odds at FanDuel).
The available options will be updated and potentially changed throughout the season. Surprising risers will be added to the available options once they’ve emerged as a viable candidate; injured or struggling players may even be dropped from the selections altogether.
How the MVP award is decided
The MVP of both leagues is voted on each year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of American. The group is made up of baseball writers for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying websites. Two writers from each MLB city are put forth by their local chapter chairman and must be approved by the national secretary-treasurer.
Writers are only allowed to vote for the league in which their city’s team plays. MVP ballots include 10 spots and must be submitted prior to the start of the postseason. Votes are counted via a point system based on which spot players are listed on a ballot. A first-place vote is worth 14 points, while second through 10th spots on the ballot are worth 9 through 1 points in the corresponding descending order.
There are several factors that may sway each writer’s choices. Generally, the award goes to the player with the top statistical accomplishments. Others base their votes, at least toward the bottom of their ballot, on the true meaning of “most valuable” as in which players did the most to improve or help their team’s performance.
Unfortunately, local biases can’t be fully eliminated based on the current voting system. Occasionally, writers may give extra credit to a less-deserving player from the team they cover daily.
MVP betting history: recent winners
The 60-game 2020 MLB season saw Chicago White Sox 1B Jose Abreu named AL MVP and Atlanta Braves 1B Freddie Freeman take home the NL honors. Both were long shots to win the award; Abreu had 2020 pre-season odds of +6000 at William Hill and Freeman was +2500 at BetMGM prior to the start of the shortened campaign.
| Year | AL Winner | Odds | NL Winner | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jose Abreu (CHW) | +6000 | Freddie Freeman (ATL) | +2500 |
| 2019 | Mike Trout (LAA) | +125 | Cody Bellinger (LAD) | +3000 |
| 2018 | Mookie Betts (BOS) | +2500 | Christian Yelich (MIL) | +15000 |
| 2017 | Jose Altuve (HOU) | +1200 | Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) | +4500 |
| 2016 | Mike Trout (LAA) | +160 | Kris Bryant (CHC) | +1000 |
| 2015 | Josh Donaldson (TOR) | +1600 | Bryce Harper (WAS) | +2000 |
| 2014 | Mike Trout (LAA) | +500 | Clayton Kershaw (LAD) | +2000 |
| 2013 | Miguel Cabrera (DET) | +700 | Andrew McCutchen (PIT) | +1500 |
| 2012 | Miguel Cabrera (DET) | +900 | Buster Posey (SFG) | +2500 |
| 2011 | Justin Verlander (DET) | +7500 | Ryan Braun (MIL) | +800 |
| 2010 | Josh Hamilton (TEX) | +1000 | Joey Votto (CIN) | +5000 |