MLB awards odds: Favorites for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year

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Major League Baseball’s top talents spent the last few days as teammates during All-Star celebrations in Los Angeles. Now, they will go back to competing on the field and in awards races.

Several All-Stars emerged as frontrunners for end-of-season honors with stellar play in the first half of the season. Some have strived at the plate, others have been stellar on the mound and a few even stepped into the spotlight as rookies.

Each team has around 70 games left in the regular season. Can the awards favorites hang onto their leads the rest of the way, or will other players snatch the hardware?

Here is a look at odds for MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in both leagues heading into the second half with odds provided by our partner, PointsBet:

AL MVP odds

  • Shohei Ohtani, LAA: -110
  • Aaron Judge, NYY: +140
  • Yordan Alvarez, HOU: +1200
  • Mike Trout, LAA: +1800
  • Rafael Devers, BOS: +2000
  • Jose Ramirez, CLE: +3300
  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR: +5000
  • Kyle Tucker, HOU: +10000
  • Giancarlo Stanton, NYY: +10000
  • Byron Buxton, MIN: +10000

The AL could be in for a Sho-Time sequel when it comes to MVP.

Shohei Ohtani has followed up his 2021 MVP season with more outstanding two-way play as a pitcher and slugger. With 19 homers and 56 RBIs at the break, he will likely fall short of his hitting stats from last season. He’s been even more locked in on the mound, though, earning a 2.38 ERA through 15 starts. 

Despite Ohtani’s historic production, the Angels’ disappointing first half of the season saw their manager get fired as they entered the break 14 games below .500. Depending on how great the AL-leading Yankees play in the second half and how big a factor Aaron Judge is in that success, the power-hitting outfielder could overtake Ohtani and nab league MVP honors.

NL MVP odds

  • Paul Goldschmidt, STL: +100
  • Manny Machado, SD: +550
  • Pete Alonso, NYM: +700
  • Austin Riley, ATL: +1000
  • Freddie Freeman, LAD: +1200
  • Mookie Betts, LAD: +1400
  • Trea Turner, LAD: +1800
  • Nolan Arenado, STL: +2500
  • Kyle Schwarber, PHI: +2500
  • Dansby Swanson, ATL: +4000

Paul Goldschmidt has turned back the clock in St. Louis.

The Cardinals first baseman leads the majors in on-base percentage (.414) and is the NL leader in batting average (.330), slugging percentage (.590), OPS (1.004) and runs scored (64). He has come close to winning NL MVP in the past, finishing as the runner-up in 2013 and 2015 and placing third in 2017.

Manny Machado, Pete Alonso, Austin Riley and Freddie Freeman are among the MVP possibilities chasing Goldschmidt entering the second half of the year. Freeman’s Dodgers are the NL’s only team to win 60 games so far, but having two teammates with top-seven MVP odds could potentially diminish his case.

AL Cy Young odds

  • Shane McLanahan, TB: +200
  • Justin Verlander, HOU: +250
  • Dylan Cease, CHW: +900
  • Shohei Ohtani, LAA: +900
  • Gerrit Cole, NYY: +1000
  • Kevin Gausman, TOR: +1600
  • Alek Manoah, TOR: +2000
  • Logan Gilbert, SEA: +3000
  • Shane Bieber, CLE: +3300
  • Nestor Cortes, NYY: +3300

Shane McLanahan was the AL’s best pitcher in the first half, and he was honored as such in L.A.

The Rays lefty and AL All-Star starter led the majors in ERA (1.71) and WHIP (0.795) across his 18 starts. He’s not doing too shabby in the strikeouts department, either. His 147 K’s are tied with Gerrit Cole for the second-most in all of baseball and trail just Dylan Cease’s 150.

Justin Verlander is in the mix for his third AL Cy Young Award. The veteran Astros righty was the only MLB pitcher to enter the All-Star break with 12 wins on their ledger.

Also in the thick of the Cy Young race is Ohtani, who could try and replicate Verlander’s 2011 season by winning Cy Young and MVP.

NL Cy Young odds

  • Sandy Alcantara, MIA: -135
  • Corbin Burnes, MIL: +600
  • Joe Musgrove, SD: +1200
  • Max Fried, ATL: +1300
  • Tony Gonsolin, LAD: +1500
  • Zack Wheeler, PHI: +2000
  • Carlos Rodon, SF: +2000
  • Max Scherzer, NYM: +3300
  • Aaron Nola, PHI: +4000
  • Clayton Kershaw, LAD: +5000

Sandy Alcantara has been an innings machine and ace for the Marlins this season. 

The 26-year-old righty has pitched 11 2/3 more innings and has a WAR 0.9 higher than any other starter in the bigs this season. He’s also being efficient with his added volume, trailing only McLanahan in ERA across all of MLB at 1.76. He could have been in line for the starting nod in the All-Star Game, but that distinction went to Clayton Kershaw at his home ballpark.

Corbin Burnes is the most likely candidate to catch up to Alcantara. The reigning NL Cy Young recipient leads the NL with 144 strikeouts and has a 2.14 ERA, 0.29 points lower than it was during his 2021 campaign.

AL Rookie of the Year odds

  • Julio Rodriguez, SEA: -350
  • Jeremy Pena, HOU: +700
  • Bobby Witt Jr., KC: +1000
  • Adley Rutschman, BAL: +3000
  • Joe Ryan, MIN: +3300
  • Riley Greene, DET: +4000
  • MJ Melendez, KC: +5000
  • George Kirby, SEA: +6600
  • Spencer Torkelson, DET: +8000
  • Shane Baz, TB: +8000

There’s a new “Kid” in the outfield for the Mariners.

Julio Rodriguez was the best first-year player in all of baseball during the first half of the season, leading all rookies in hits (95), home runs (16), RBIs (52), runs scored (53), stolen bases (21) and WAR (3.6). He even went toe-to-toe with some of the top players in the league during the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium during the break. Unless he hits a major rookie wall in the second half, he should run away with AL Rookie of the Year.

NL Rookie of the Year odds

  • Spencer Strider, ATL: +175
  • Michael Harris II, ATL: +200
  • Oneil Cruz, PIT: +700
  • Seiya Suzuki, CHC: +1100
  • Nolan Gorman, STL: +1800
  • Mackenzie Gore, SD: +1800
  • Christopher Morel, CHC: +2000
  • Brendan Donovan, STL: +2000
  • Juan Yepez, STL: +2200
  • Jack Suwinski, PIT: +3000

The top two candidates for NL Rookie of the Year come from the defending World Series champions. Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II have both been impressive additions to the Braves’ big league roster, with Strider doing his work on the mound and Harris stepping up at the plate.  

Oneil Cruz was late to the 2022 MLB season, but he’s opened some eyes during his short tenure in the majors so far. While he is among the top rookie talents this year, he only has 26 games under his belt, so he has some major catching up to do to reach the cumulative production of other award contenders. 

Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.

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