MLB MVP Odds 2020

The 2020 MLB season is a go. Players will report to training camps July 1 and a 60-game season will begin July 23 or 24, with teams playing in their home stadiums without fans. The new format has led to sportsbooks adjusting betting odds for player futures such as the MVP in both the American and National Leagues.

Every team will play 10 games against each of their four divisional opponents, along with four games against each of the five teams from the corresponding division in the other league. The designated hitter will become universal and games going beyond nine innings will begin each half-inning with a runner on first base. The standard 10-team playoff format will then be followed, including a play-in game in each league.

On this page, we look at the betting favorites and best longshot bets to win both the AL and NL MVP awards this season. Be sure to check the disclaimers at your sportsbook of choice. FanDuel Sportsbook states all teams must play 30-plus games for bets to stand.

MLB MVP odds

MVP favorites and longshots (FanDuel odds)

AL MVP

Mike Trout (+135): Trout’s MVP odds have dropped from +150 in early March under the new abbreviated-season format. No player in baseball is capable of doing more in just a 60-game sample than the three-time and reigning AL MVP. The Angels have also seen their World Series odds drop since March and an elusive playoff berth would be yet another checkmark to go along with Trout’s annual criteria.

Aaron Judge (+1200): Judge is the top contender from the star-studded Yankees, but he remains questionable to start the season on time due to a fractured rib. Any missed time or a slow start will prove extremely detrimental to a player’s MVP chances this season. If you want to bet a Yankees star, look at 2B Gleyber Torres (+1900), OF Giancarlo Stanton (+3000), or SP Gerrit Cole (+3500), all available at more profitable odds.

Alex Bregman (+1500): Bregman, and the rest of the Astros, won’t have to worry as much about hostile fans for their road games following the offseason’s sign-stealing scandal. Bregman, 26, slashed .296/.423/.592 with 41 home runs, 122 runs and 112 RBI a season ago, while walking more than he struck out. He has hit .289/.391/.533 across 468 first-half games over the last three seasons, proving he’s able to get a jump on opposing pitchers early in the season.

Gerrit Cole (+3500): Cole has the lowest MVP odds of any starting pitcher in the AL. He’ll anchor a pinstripes rotation that’ll be without Luis Severino (elbow) and likely to be without Domingo German (suspension). Increased usage over 60 games for the soon-to-be 30-year-old could make him more valuable than any Yankees hitter.

Tim Anderson (+5500): The 27-year-old Anderson was one of baseball’s most improved players in 2019, and he led the AL with a second-half average of .357 with an 18th-ranked .378 wOBA. The ChiSox are expected to challenge the Minnesota Twins for the AL Central crown this season, and if they do so, their most valuable player will likely receive plenty of AL MVP consideration. Back Anderson with the fourth-best odds on the team.

NL MVP

Christian Yelich (+600): Yelich has taken over top spot in the NL race after being second ahead of the originally scheduled start of the 2020 season. The 2018 NL MVP nearly repeated last season before his campaign was cut short due to injury. He’ll need to do just as much, if not more, to get a weakened Brewers roster back to the postseason in 2020.

Mookie Betts (+700): The 2018 AL MVP will finally get to suit up for the Dodgers after being acquired from the Boston Red Sox along with SP David Price. The shortened season limits his opportunity to make a noticeable impact on the reigning NL West champs and a strong roster featuring 2019 MVP OF Cody Bellinger (+800).

Bryce Harper (+1300): The pressure will be off Harper and the Phillies after an 81-81 2019 season that fell well short of expectations for both player and team. The 2015 MVP could benefit from playing in empty stadiums and on a strengthened roster. He slashed .270/.376/.564 with 19 homers in the second half of last season after an awful start to the year.

Eugenio Suarez (+2500): Suarez hit an NL-high 29 home runs in the second half of 2019 and his .434 wOBA over the final 72 games ranked second in the league. He’s also a .271/.364/.521 hitter with 109 homers over 458 first-half games across the last three seasons and can get the early jump on pitchers. The Reds are also widely expected to take a major step forward this season, potentially helping him get more attention from voters after last year’s 75-87 record and a fourth-place finish in the NL Central.

Starling Marte (+10000): While the Dodgers’ acquisition of Betts stole the offseason headlines, the Diamondbacks also made a big move in acquiring Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates to stay competitive in the NL West. He may be just the second-best Marte on his own team, but his odds are much more appetizing than Ketel’s +2500. The former Pirates outfielder posted a .390 wOBA over the second half of last season, and he remains both a power and speed threat.

How to bet on the MVP

MVP futures are a great way to stay invested in your favorite players all season long, whether they play for rival teams or on teams not expected to have much success in 2020. As mentioned above, the best time to bet most players is at the start of the season, before they can begin racking up statistical merits.

Odds are based on past production and accomplishments while factoring in 2020 projections and public betting action. Knowing which longshots to back ahead of player and team breakouts is a must for getting the best value. The odds will be updated regularly throughout the season, and they’ll become more or less profitable according to their in-season success or lack thereof.

As seen below with the recent MVP winners in both the AL and NL, the winner generally comes from the top group of favorites. This is especially true in the American League, where the award has gone through Angels OF Mike Trout the last six years. He entered last season with ridiculously low +125 odds to win, and he did so, despite the Angels finishing just 72-90 and fourth in the AL West. A $100 bet on him to win AL MVP before last season would have returned a profit of $125.

Brewers OF Christian Yelich, who won the NL award in 2018, illustrates the value available if a breakout season can be predicted. He led his new team to the postseason for the first time since 2011 while hitting 36 home runs and stealing 22 bases.

Value can also be found in placing bets at the right time during the regular season. Back a favorite whose odds have increased amid a poor start to the season for either himself or his team. If the star player on a fringe playoff team goes down to injury at any point, it’s a good play to immediately bet the second-best player on that team, as he will then receive the credit if the team stays in the playoff hunt.

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 and then under the drop-down menu 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 +125 to Oakland Athletics OF Stephen Piscotty’s +30000 odds last year).

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 and 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 his team’s performance.

Unfortunately, local biases can’t be fully eliminated based on the current voting system, and 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
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