We are now past the Memorial Day benchmark in the 2023 MLB season and are starting to get a good idea of the group of contenders that will battle for baseball’s most prestigious individual awards. MLB MVP odds are available to view and bet on below. Ronald Acuna (+125), Freddie Freeman (+950) and Pete Alonso (+1300) were the NL MVP odds favorites as of May 30. Shohei Ohtani (-125), Aaron Judge (+700) and Yordan Alvarez (+2000) were the AL MVP odds favorites as of May 30.
Compare live MLB MVP odds for the American League and National League below.
MLB MVP odds
The MLB MVP odds for 2023 are up from top sportsbooks. Compare 2023 AL MVP odds and NL MVP odds below.
AL MVP odds
Shohei Ohtani (-130): Ohtani approaches June with a .263 average and .837 OPS, numbers partly comprised by 22 extra-base hits and 33 RBI over 53 games. The ultra-talented two-way star has lowered his strikeout rate to a career-low 22.7 percent as well, and he unquestionably has the talent to put together an all-around statistical profile befitting an MVP trophy.
Aaron Judge (+700): Judge once again boasts a four-figure OPS (1.087), and he also boasts a .302 average following a two-homer, three-hit night against the Mariners on Monday night. The pair of blasts pushes Judge’s long-ball total to 17 through 45 games, and he’s putting even better wood on the ball than usual – Judge boasted a massive 28.4 percent barrel rate and career-high 57.4 percent hard-hit rate going into Monday’s stellar outing.
Mike Trout (+2000): Trout has been blessed with good health thus far and it’s paid off, as he owns a .283 average and .893 OPS following a 2-for-4 night Monday. The veteran slugger has 23 extra-base hits, including 12 homers, through 51 games, and he’s a very good bet to remain in contention all season as long as he continues avoiding the injury bug.
Yordan Alvarez (+2000): Alvarez has a .995 OPS and has already laced 25 of his 48 hits for extra bases. His 48 RBI also put him second in all of baseball in that category, and he continues to lock himself into everyday playing time by once again excelling in same-handed matchups against southpaws (.323 average, 1.038 OPS). Alvarez already got within striking distance of 40 homers and 100 RBI last season, and his typically modest strikeout rates could certainly help him vault over those thresholds this season.
Vlad Guerrero (+3000): Guerrero has been slumping of late but still sports a .284 average and .813 OPS heading into the final two days of May. The talented slugger has 20 extra-base hits and 34 RBI in 51 games as well, and his modest 16.8 percent strikeout rate should continue to give him plenty of opportunity to leverage his superior bat speed into some noteworthy numbers throughout the season.
Josh Lowe Rays (+10000): Lowe’s price is eye-catching considering his .301 average, .941 OPS, 23 extra-base hits, 37 RBI and 12 stolen bases through 44 games. Those numbers corroborate that the 25-year-old is capable of putting together the type of across-the-board production befitting an MVP winner, and his slotting within the deep lineup of the best team in baseball certainly won’t hurt his chances of ongoing success and serious consideration.
NL MVP odds
Ronald Acuna (+110): Acuna continues to very comfortably set the pace as June approaches, and his season numbers leave zero room for argument. The talented outfielder is boasting a .327/.408/.561 slash line with 27 extra-base hits and 30 RBI through 54 games, and he has an array of elite complementary metrics that include 22 stolen bases, a .424 wOBA, a .238 ISO and a 44.1 percent hard-hit rate.
Freddie Freeman (+1200): Acuna’s former Braves teammate continued mashing with a two-run double on Memorial Day and is slashing .333/.409/.571. Freeman has laced 33 of his 73 hits for extra bases as well, and as customary, he’s sporting an excellent BB/K ratio. The veteran is also boasting a career-high 11.6 percent barrel rate and elevated 29.9 percent line-drive rate, demonstrating his bat speed is in as good a shape as ever at age 33.
Pete Alonso (+1300): Any hitter with Alonso’s prodigious power is always a threat for the MVP crown, and the slugger may be on pace for his best season yet in the long-ball department. Alonso already became the first hitter this season to get to 20 homers Saturday, and he’s sporting his highest slugging percentage (.569) and OPS (.910) since his rookie 2019 season. While his batting average is never going to be up there with the Acunas and Freemans of the world, Alonso is also currently saddled by an atypically low .215 BABIP that’s leading to an expected batting average of .284 which is exponentially higher than his .243 base figure.
Juan Soto (+1600): Soto has been relatively high on the MVP leaderboard all season, but that may have previously been fueled by reputation. The versatile slugger has picked it up at the plate over the last several weeks, however, posting a .303 average, 1.125 OPS and 26.7 percent walk rate over his last 11 games. Soto has laced 24 of his 47 hits for extra bases as well, partly the result of a career-high 15.4 percent barrel rate and formidable 38.9 percent hard-hit rate.
Paul Goldschmidt (+1800): Goldschmidt has a .290 average and .912 OPS through 54 games. He’s also encouragingly increased his walk rate to 14.2 percent while lowering his strikeout rate to 20.4 percent, after producing respective 12.2 percent and 21.7 percent figures in those categories in 2022. Goldschmidt has always displayed above-average plate discipline for a 30-plus homer hitter and is typically very good with men on base, making him an appealing value at his price despite the Cardinals’ underachieving season.
Christopher Morel (+12000): Morel’s odds are astronomical at the moment, but he’s certainly got the upside to potentially make a longshot bid for the MVP trophy if he keeps up his current pace. The 23-year-old outfielder is stuck on an underachieving Cubs squad, but otherwise, he’s got the credentials in the form of a .299 average, 1.084 OPS and nine home runs through just 17 games. Whether Morel can cut down his massive 36.6 percent strikeout rate will be instrumental in how realistic his chances are of at least moving up the leaderboard, but he turned in his two best minor-league seasons at the highest affiliate levels and also slugged 16 homers as a rookie in part-time duty in 2022.
American League MVP odds
We will examine how AL MVP odds change throughout the course of the season. Below you will see how AL MVP odds for top players have shifted from May 23 (one week before opening day) to May 30 (two months after opening day).
| Player | AL MVP Odds - March 23 | AL MVP Odds - May 4 | AL MVP Odds - May 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shohei Ohtani | +190 | -105 | -130 |
| Mike Trout | +450 | +800 | +1500 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | +1200 | +1300 | +2000 |
| Aaron Judge | +500 | +1600 | +700 |
| Adley Rutschman | +2500 | +1600 | +3000 |
| Wander Franco | +2500 | +1800 | +2500 |
| Yordan Alvarez | +1100 | +2000 | +2200 |
| Matt Chapman | +10000 | +2000 | +5000 |
| Julio Rodriguez | +700 | +3000 | +10000 |
| Jose Ramirez | +1500 | +4000 | +6000 |
| Rafael Devers | +2000 | +4000 | +3500 |
| Randy Arozarena | +15000 | +4000 | +3000 |
| Bo Bichette | +3500 | +4000 | +3500 |
| Kyle Tucker | +2500 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Jarred Kelenic | +30000 | +6000 | +10000 |
| Byron Buxton | +3000 | +7500 | +10000 |
| Jeremy Pena | +5000 | +7500 | +10000 |
| Carlos Correa | +3500 | +7500 | +10000 |
| Corey Seager | +2000 | +9000 | +10000 |
| George Spriner | +4000 | +9000 | +10000 |
| Marcus Semien | +4000 | +9000 | +4000 |
| Alex Bregman | +4000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Luis Robert | +4000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Jose Altuve | +5000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | +5000 | +10000 | +12000 |
| Giancarlo Stanton | +6000 | +10000 | +15000 |
| Jose Abreu | +6000 | +10000 | +20000 |
| Tim Anderson | +5000 | +20000 | +20000 |
National League MVP odds
We will examine how NL MVP odds change throughout the course of the season. Below you will see how NL MVP odds for top players have shifted from May 23 (one week before opening day) to May 30 (two months after opening day).
| Player | NL MVP odds - March 23 | NL MVP odds - May 4 | NL MVP odds - May 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald Acuna Jr. | +850 | +250 | +100 |
| Pete Alonso | +1500 | +700 | +1100 |
| Mookie Betts | +850 | +1300 | +2000 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | +1000 | +1300 | +2200 |
| Juan Soto | +550 | +1500 | +1600 |
| Matt Olson | +2500 | +1800 | +3500 |
| Max Muncy | +10000 | +1800 | +3000 |
| Freddie Freeman | +1400 | +2000 | +1000 |
| Austin Riley | +1600 | +2000 | +4500 |
| Manny Machado | +1500 | +2500 | +4500 |
| Trea Turner | +900 | +2500 | +7500 |
| Bryce Harper | +3500 | +2500 | +2000 |
| Xander Bogarts | +3500 | +3000 | +7500 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | +1400 | +3000 | +2500 |
| Francisco Lindor | +2500 | +3000 | +7500 |
| Nolan Arenado | +1400 | +5000 | +7500 |
| Cody Bellinger | +15000 | +5000 | +10000 |
| Will Smith | +10000 | +6500 | +5000 |
| Sean Murphy | +15000 | +6500 | +3000 |
| Bryan Reynolds | +12500 | +6500 | +10000 |
| Kyle Schwarber | +2500 | +8000 | +10000 |
| Jazz Chisholm Jr. | +4000 | +8000 | +15000 |
| Ozzie Albies | +5000 | +9000 | +7500 |
| Dansby Swanson | +5000 | +9000 | +15000 |
| JT Realmuto | +10000 | +9000 | +10000 |
| Seiya Suzuki | +7000 | +10000 | +15000 |
| Michael Harris | +4000 | +10000 | +15000 |
| Sandy Alcantara | +7000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Brandon Crawford | +8000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Rhys Hoskins | +8000 | -- | --- |
| Oneil Cruz | +5000 | -- | -- |
Best MVP betting sites
Below are the best sites to bet on AL and NL MVP. To view and bet on MLB lines for today go here.
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 Caesars Sportsbook. 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 as low as Shohei Ohtahni’s +200.
The available options will be updated throughout the season. Surprising risers will be added to the available options once they’ve emerged as a viable candidate, while injured or struggling players may be dropped 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
There was no denying Aaron Judge his first AL MVP award in 2022. Judge led not only the American League, but the entire MLB in HR (62), R (133), RBI (131), OBP (.425), and SLG (.686), and WAR (11.4). In the National League, Paul Goldschmidt surprisingly won the award by a clear margin despite ranking third overall in WAR (7.1) and finishing behind his teammate Nolan Arenado (7.3).
Bryce Harper captured his second career NL MVP award as he ripped the cover off the ball down the stretch of the 2021 season. Overall, Harper belted 35 home runs, drove in 84 runs and had a BA of .309. Over in the AL, Angels slugger and pitcher Shohei Ohtani had one of the more memorable seasons in recent baseball history. The Japanese sensation was the first player in MLB history to smash at least 30 home runs and make at least 10 pitching appearances in the same season.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Aaron Judge (NYY) | +1800 | Paul Goldschmidt (STL) | +4500 |
| 2021 | Shohei Ohtani (LAA) | +1500 | Bryce Harper (PHL) | +1700 |
| 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 |