The MLB MVP award is the top hardware for the majors, split into separate honors for the American and National League. Thankfully, savvy bettors can bet on who will win the award from the preseason through the MLB season. Below, we’ll take a look at the NL MVP odds, most popular bets, and notable movement to win the Most Valuable Player Award.
Updated Odds To Win NL MVP
| Player | Current Odds | Preseason Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Goldschmidt (1B - STL) | -1400 | +5000 |
| Nolan Arenado (3B - STL) | +2500 | +3000 |
| Freddie Freeman (1B - LAD) | +3000 | OTB |
| Trea Turner (SS - LAD) | +4000 | +1600 |
| Austin Riley (3B - ATL) | +5000 | +1400 |
| Mookie Betts (OF - LAD) | +5000 | +1000 |
| Francisco Lindor (SS - NYM) | +5000 | +3000 |
| Pete Alonso (1B - NYM) | +8000 | +4000 |
| Manny Machado (3B - SD) | +10000 | +3500 |
Odds via BetMGM as of September 6.
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Who Is Favored To Win The NL MVP?
Paul Goldschmidt tops the NL MVP awards race for 2022.
The veteran first baseman is having an elite year at the dish for the St. Louis Cardinals. According to FanGraphs, among qualified hitters in the National League, Goldy is 1st in Wins Above Replacement, 3rd in homers, 3rd in runs, 1st in RBI, 1st in batting average, 1st in on-base percentage, and 1st in Weighted Runs Created Plus.
In addition, old-school MVP voters from the Baseball Writers Association will like the Cardinals vying for the NL Central crown.
Most Popular Bet To Win NL MVP
BetMGM reports that Bryce Harper still has the highest ticket count at 12.1% even after his injury. For reference, the next most popular player is Paul Goldschmidt at 9.6%.
Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals also has the most betting money supporting his run for MVP at 40.8%. Manny Machado ranks second with 10.0% of the betting handle at BetMGM.
NL MVP Odds Movement & News
August 29: Goldschmidt (-1400) establishes dominating lead over second-place Arenado (+2500)
August 22: Goldschmidt (-375) extends lead over Riley (+1600) and Arenado (+1600)
August 1: Goldschmidt (-155) remains the favorite ahead of Austin Riley (+650). Riley had +2000 odds on July 25.
July 26: Alonso (+500) jumps Machado (+550) for second place behind leader Goldschmidt (-110)
July 19: Goldschmidt (-110) remains the favorite and Machado (+550) moves into second ahead of Alonso (+700)
June 25: Bryce Harper fractures his left thumb. Out indefinitely. Odds fall from +800 to +5000. Goldschmidt at +160, Alonso in second at +500, and the injured Machado at +600.
June 21: Paul Goldschmidt takes the top spot at +175. Machado suffers an ankle injury and moves back to +500. Pete Alonso jumps to third place at +700.
May 25: Manny Machado becomes the clear frontrunner at +225. Nolan Arenado and Mookie Betts follow him at +600. BetMGM states that Machado has the most betting cash behind him.
May 9: Nolan Arenado and Manny Machado (+600) both lead the NL MVP race. Juan Soto is right behind at +700.
April 7: On Opening Day, Juan Soto (+280) is favored to win the award. Ronald Acuna Jr (+700) and Bryce Harper (+900) are next in line. Bryce Harper is the most popular bet with 14.8% of the tickets.
National League MVP Previous Winners
| Player | Team | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Goldschmidt | St. Louis Cardinals | 2022 |
| Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | 2021 |
| Freddie Freeman | Atlanta Braves | 2020 |
| Cody Bellinger | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2019 |
| Christian Yelich | Milwaukee Brewers | 2018 |
| Giancarlo Stanton | Miami Marlins | 2017 |
| Kris Bryant | Chicago Cubs | 2016 |
| Bryce Harper | Washington Nationals | 2015 |
| Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2014 |
| Andrew McCutchen | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2013 |
| Buster Posey | San Francisco Giants | 2012 |
| Ryan Braun | Milwaukee Brewers | 2011 |
| Joey Votto | Cincinnati Reds | 2010 |
| Albert Pujols | St. Louis Cardinals | 2009 |
| Albert Pujols | St. Louis Cardinals | 2008 |
| Jimmy Rollins | Philadelphia Phillies | 2007 |
| Ryan Howard | Philadelphia Phillies | 2006 |
| Albert Pujols | St. Louis Cardinals | 2005 |
| Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 2004 |
| Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 2003 |
| Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 2002 |
| Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 2001 |
National League MVP Trends
- Only one NL pitcher (Clayton Kershaw) has won the NL MVP since the 1994 MLB strike.
- Freddie Freeman is the only first baseman to win the award in the past decade.
- Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, and Bryce Harper are the only repeat winners dating back to 1995.
- Harper’s five-year gap between winning the hardware is the longest of multi-time winners since 1995.
- Pujols was the last back-to-back winner, accomplishing the feat in 2008 and 2009.
- Bonds captured the award the most times since 1995, winning it four straight seasons from 2001-2004.
- The Giants have had the most MVP award winners in the NL since 1995, with Jeff Kent winning the award the year before Bonds’ four-year run, bringing their total to five.
- In the last 10 years, three National League MVPs have been on non-playoff teams. Both of Harper’s MVP campaigns were in non-playoff seasons, and Giancarlo Stanton was the other winner on a non-playoff squad.
- Two NL MVPs in the last 10 years were on teams that eventually won the World Series.
- Six outfielders — excluding Kris Bryant in 2016, since he played more games at third base than in the outfield — have won the hardware in the last 10 years. Obviously, that’s the most for any position during that stretch.
- Jimmy Rollins was the last shortstop to win the National League MVP in 2007.
- Before Buster Posey was honored as the most valuable player in the National League in 2012, a backstop hadn’t earned the award in the majors since Johnny Bench won in 1972.
- Kent was the last player to win the National League MVP at second base, ending a draught for the keystone position that dated back to Ryne Sandberg winning with the Chicago Cubs in 1984.
How To Read MLB MVP Odds
For novice bettors, reading betting odds can feel intimidating. However, don’t fret. Understanding them is a straightforward process. Typically, odds are listed in a plus or minus fashion for MLB players. For instance, a longshot’s MLB MVP odds to win might be +1500. Conversely, the betting favorite — sometimes referred to as the chalk — could be -115 near the end season.
For the darkhorse player with +1500 odds, a $100 wager will payout $1600. However, for the commanding favorite to win Major League Baseball MVP, a $115 bet will payout $215. Thus, the longshot pays at 15/1 odds (i.e., $1500 plus your $100 wager back for a total of $1600). Yet, the favorite requires a bet over $100 to win $100, with the 15 in a -115 line representing what’s frequently referred to as juice.
Understandably, people gravitate towards longshots because it’s fun daydreaming about a big payday on a modest wager. Further, it’s even more fun when you hit on them and collect the winnings. Also, since your money can be tied up for months on an MVP Award bet, it makes sense that betting with the lowest odds is less desirable. As a result, wagering on the betting favorite isn’t for everyone.
Where Can I Bet On MLB MVP Odds?
Unfortunately, different states have guidelines for betting sites regarding wagering on awards. Thus, states like New York that allow sports betting still don’t offer MLB MVP odds. However, in states that allow betting on the MLB MVP, the following is a guideline for locating that bet type at many betting sites.
FanDuel Sportsbook: At FanDuel Sportsbook, bettors will pick the MLB section among popular sports or from the baseball tab. Once selected, they’ll scroll a left-to-right scroll bar above the day’s MLB games until they locate player awards. After clicking on that, the awards are headlined by AL MVP, followed immediately by NL MVP. In that section, a handful of favorites with the shortest betting odds are listed with an option to show more below them.
DraftKings Sportsbook: Here’s how to bet on the MLB MVP Award at DraftKings: Click MLB on the DraftKings Sportsbook website or app. Toggle over to the Player Awards category. Select MVP, then scroll to look through the AL MVP odds.
Caesars Sportsbook: You must click on baseball among the listed sports and select MLB to locate MLB MVP odds at Caesars Sportsbook. Then, the next step is choosing Future Bets, located above the betting odds for the games. On that page, 2022 World Series Winner is listed first, and bettors must scroll down to find a listing for MVP Winner that expands to show odds for promotional bets on the MVP award before showing the 2022 AL MVP odds, followed by the 2022 NL odds with an option to expand below the favorites.
BetMGM: Users can locate baseball listed among the top sports along the side of BetMGM or find the MLB logo at the top. Once on the MLB page, events are listed with an option for futures. In the futures section, team betting options are listed at the top before reaching odds for AL Cy Young, NL Cy Young, AL MVP, and NL Most Valuable Player. Again, the favorites are listed with an option below them to show more.
PointsBet: For PointsBet, open up the menu on the app or website. Look through the available sports and find MLB Futures. Click on it, then scroll to find MLB Awards/Season Leaders category. Click on this section, and then toggle the menu to open American League MVP betting choices. If you cannot locate the MLB Awards/Season Leaders category, then there’s a good chance you are located in a state that does not allow this type of wager.
BetRivers: There are multiple avenues for finding the MLB section, including a button at the top among the featured sports, along the left side with other sports listed under the most popular headline, or using the search bar. In BetRivers’ MLB section, live now is the featured page with upcoming and futures listed to the right. On the future page, you must scroll below the team futures for the award options, including National League MVP. A quartet of favorites is listed with a show more participants button below to expand and see all the possibilities.
BetFred: BetFred has various sportsbook options that depend on the state you’re located in. For Pennsylvania, they’re partnered with Wind Creek. In their sportsbook, MLB futures are listed under the featured section. Show all markets is the default selection with Player Awards listed to the right. All player awards are listed in a compressed format with the option to expand. After expanding Odds to Win-2022 NL MVP, four options are provided with a show more button below.
