The 2021 Major League Baseball campaign began on Thursday, April 1, with a full 162-game regular season underway. The return to a full schedule should help player production return to normal levels; as such, stat lines will no longer be impacted as heavily by exaggerated hot or cold stretches at the plate. With that in mind, we look at the MLB betting odds to win the American League and National League MVP awards.
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.
The page below looks at the 2021 MLB MVP odds from the top US sportsbooks, and highlights a few of the favorites and long shots from both leagues. We also look at how and where to bet on the MVP awards and list the recent winners and their preseason odds.
MLB MVP odds
Click on the MVP odds you like below to bet now.
For more MVP odds go to DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook and BetMGM.
AL MVP futures report (April 28)
The following odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook:
Favorites
Los Angeles Angels OF Mike Trout (+200): The three-time winner and nine-time top-five finisher in AL MVP voting maintains the pole position for the 2021 award. He leads the AL in OPS, OBP, SLG, and intentional walks. The Angels appear to be competitive, and that’s the only thing that has kept him from more awards to date.
Los Angeles Angels DH/SP Shohei Ohtani (+1000): The dual-position wonder’s MVP odds continue to drop. He has been rock-solid at the plate out of the two-hole for the Halos, and he’s once again a factor in the Angels’ expanded starting rotation.
Toronto Blue Jays 1B Vladimir Guerrero (+1200): Guerrero became the second-youngest player in the last 50 years to have a three-home run game. He also got to an AL-high seven homers in just 75 at-bats. He has also exceeded expectations with improved defense at first base.
Long shots
Minnesota Twins OF Byron Buxton (+1600): Buxton continues taking big steps forward at the plate. He matched Guerrero’s seven home runs in just 59 at-bats with some time missed due to a knee injury. He slashed .390/.429/.847 through 63 plate appearance
New York Yankees OF Aaron Judge (+2000): Judge still has the lowest odds among Yankees hitters – and SP Gerrit Cole (+5000). The entire offense is off to a slow start, but Judge is the early pinstripes leader in OBP, SLG, wOBA, and wRC+ among everyday players.
Boston Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts (+5000): OF/DH J.D. Martinez (+2500) has the lowest odds of any Red Sox hitter, but Bogaerts is right behind in most key stats. He also provides the added boost of playing a premium defensive position, albeit at a below-average grade.
Kansas City Royals C Salvador Perez (+10000): There’s no bigger surprise in the AL thus far than the Royals. Perez is back to full health and leading the way at the plate and behind it. He’s the steady presence needed to handle a young and unproven pitching staff.
NL MVP futures report (April 28)
Favorites
Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. (+300): Acuna’s rise continues at an impressive rate after he checked in with +550 odds in mid-April. He looks to be the second straight MVP from the Braves and leads the NL in SLG and OPS.
San Diego Padres SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (+800): Tatis survived an early-season shoulder injury to remain among the front runners for the NL MVP. He’s receiving plenty of support in the Padres lineup, but he and his $340-million contract will be the face of any success in San Diego.
Washington Nationals OF Juan Soto (+900): The 22-year-old is expected to be out until early May due to a shoulder injury, so it’s possible his odds rise before he returns to the lineup. He started with a .300/.410/.460 line in his first 14 games.
New York Mets SP Jacob deGrom (+1000): The only pitcher from either league with odds lower than +5000. The two-time Cy Young winner allowed just one earned run on a solo homer through his first 29 innings and four starts.
Los Angeles Dodgers OF Mookie Betts (+1100): The 2018 AL MVP finished second in league voting in his first season in the NL. He’s off to somewhat of a slow start, but the Dodgers aren’t. The $365-million man has time to heat up.
Long shots
Philadelphia Phillies OF Bryce Harper (+1600): The 2015 NL MVP is leading the National League in hard-contact percentage (56.9); he’s also among the early threats for the home run title. He has again upped his exit velocity and has a would-be career-high barrel percentage.
Los Angeles Dodgers 2B/SS Justin Turner (+3000): Turner would become the fourth active (AL or NL) MVP on the Dodgers roster. Like with Angels stars Trout and Ohtani, the internal competition may be most detrimental to his chances. Turner, Betts, OF Cody Bellinger, and SS Corey Seager, risk splitting the West Coast vote.
Chicago Cubs 3B/OF Kris Bryant (+5500): Bryant followed Harper as the 2016 NL MVP as the Cubs won the World Series. This being a contract year has been much talked about, and he has been at the top of his game. He’s showing improved plate discipline and would-be career-best power numbers nearly across the board. A potential mid-season trade may hurt his chances.
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
| 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 |