2023 NL MVP Betting Odds
2023 NL MVP Betting Odds
When it comes to franchises producing MVPs in the National League, one might assume that the Los Angeles Dodgers and their free-spending habits would have them sitting at the top of the list.
However, it is the St. Louis Cardinals who have won the most NL MVPs, with Stan Musial and Albert Pujols leading the way for the Cardinals with three each.
St. Louis has had 17 total NL MVP award winners as a franchise, with San Francisco (13) and the Reds (12) also both ahead of the Dodgers (11).
Barry Bonds (7) has more MVPs than anyone in baseball history. In fact, Bonds has won more NL MVPs than the Rockies, Padres, Marlins, Brewers, and Nationals franchises combined.
This year, Nationals slugger Juan Soto is at the top of the MLB odds list to start the season, Soto was runner-up to the eventual 2021 NL MVP winner Bryce Harper of the Phillies.
2022 NL MVP Odds
Favorites
Juan Soto – In a league with Bryce Harper, Fernando Tatis Jr, Ronald Acuna, and many others, Juan Soto is thought to be the best hitter of the group and that is saying something. Soto has the potential to hit a lot of home runs this year and has an OBP well over .400.
However, the Nationals are not expected to be very good. Even if Soto mashes the ball as many expect, can he overcome the fact Washington probably won’t be in a playoff race? Many think Yes.
Bryce Harper – The defending NL MVP winner doesn’t have history on his side. It’s not often voters like to pencil in the same name in consecutive years, so some believe Harper is really going to have to differentiate himself from the pack to win again this year.
Halfway through the season last year, Harper wasn’t one of the betting favorites. A torrid second half won him the award. Will he start this year like he finished last year? If you think the answer to that is yes, you are best to get your bets in on Harper now.
Mookie Betts – You won’t find Mookie Betts’ name on the all-time NL MVP winners list yet, but he does have an American League MVP award to his credit. Big expectations were placed upon the former Boston outfielder when he signed in LA and last year was not a typical Mookie Betts year.
A lingering hip injury prevented Betts from playing at 100% and forced him to miss some games. If your information tells you that Betts is healed up and starting the year healthy, he might be someone whose odds could drop quickly if he starts the season hot.
Contenders
Ronald Acuna Jr – After two months of the season last year, it was the Braves Ronald Acuna who was the betting favorite to win the MVP hardware. Then, in almost a blink of an eye, the season was over for Acuna as he tore his ACL.
This year, Acuna is a very interesting futures bet. If he is fully recovered from his ACL injury and the Acuna of old, he might be a great price to start the year. If the ACL issue is lingering and he is hampered both defensively and running the bases, this may not be the year to bet him.
Fernando Tatis Jr – While Acuna was the betting favorite after two months of the season, Fernando Tatis Jr was the player whose odds had shortened the most drastically. Listed at +1025 early on, Tatis odds shortened to +400 by the end of May.
When the all-star game rolled around, it was Tatis who was now the NL MVP betting favorite. Of course, Padres fans are all too familiar with what happened next.
A series of injuries, most notably a recurring shoulder issue meant Tatis Jr just couldn’t play enough games to stay in contention for the award.
Freddie Freeman – Up until the 2022 off-season, Freddie Freeman also answered to the name Mr. Brave. Freeman had spent his entire career in Atlanta and was on a trajectory towards the hall of fame.
Many thought Mr. Brave would retire in Atlanta, that is until he signed as a free agent with the Dodgers this year.
In Atlanta, Freeman won an MVP award in 2020. Moving to arguably the best lineup in baseball and playing on a team expected to win somewhere close to 100 games isn’t going to hurt Freddie’s chances this year.
Longshots With Value
Trea Turner – Trea Turner was already in the mix as an annual NL MVP contender, but now that he too has landed with the Dodgers and will be at the top of the LA lineup every game, there are those who think he might be the best value on the board.
His teammates Betts and Freeman have the shorter odds to take home the award, but Turner hit an eye-catching .338 in 200+ at-bats with the Dodgers last year.
His ability to get on base and a loaded lineup behind him means that Turner is going to put up some impressive stats once again this year.
Francisco Lindor – In six seasons with Cleveland, Francisco Lindor had a batting average of .285 and had three seasons of 30+ home runs or more, including 38 round-trippers in 2018.
It was not a surprise the NY Mets threw a lot of money at the talented shortstop when he hit the free-agent market. Unfortunately year one in New York did not go according to the script. Lindor hit just .230 and reached only 20 total home runs.
Many athletes have needed time to adjust to the pressures of playing in New York. Lindor seemed to have figured things out more as the season progressed. Maybe this broadway show ending involves an NL MVP award for the Mets franchise shortstop.
Matt Olson – Braves fans who were upset at losing long-time first-baseman Freddie Freeman probably were helped in their recovery when Atlanta signed Matt Olson to replace him.
Olson not only carries a big bat, but he flashes a golden glove playing at first base. No longer in the small market of Oakland, if Olson goes off for a 40 home run season this year like many expect, he could garner a lot more attention and MVP votes in Atlanta
2021 NL MVP Recap
Before the 2021 season started, Juan Soto and Mookie Betts were the betting favorites to win the NL MVP award. Betts struggled with a hip injury for a lot of the year and never really found his groove.
Braves star Ronald Acuna and Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr both got off to great starts and put themselves in the MVP conversation early.
However Tatis was hurt several times throughout the year and Acuna tore his ACL during the season, opening the NL MVP door for Bryce Harper.
Before the year started, Harper was +1500, but as August rolled around you could find his odds closer to +3265. Then Harper got hot. Really hot.
The Phillies’ power bat finished the season with 78 extra-base hits, a batting average of .309, and an OPS of 1.044. Good enough to finish ahead of Soto in the final voting, claiming his second NL MVP award and his first with Philadelphia.
NL MVP Betting
When it comes to making futures bets on the NL MVP award winner, those who are successful over time are those who are well informed and who can recognize player value before the betting market is corrected by the general public.
Many experienced bettors don’t judge themselves by whether they picked the winning player, instead, their goal is to buy players at low odds, before that player gets hot and the general public corrects the odds.
Let’s use last year’s NL MVP winner Bryce Harper as an example. Harper started the season at +1500, which had him near the top of the odds list. However, Harper did not get off to a great start and other players like Soto, Acuna, and Tatis did.
By the time August rolled around, Harper was +3225 at some sportsbooks. Then, Harper started to get really hot at the plate. Within a span of 10 days, his odds were all the way down to +400.
For anyone that was able to buy Harper above +1500 or better mid-season, they got very good value. By the time mid-August rolled around and Harper was down to +400 or lower, obviously, the value of that ticket just isn’t the same.
The baseball season is an incredibly long journey with many peaks and valleys both for teams and individual players. Trying to buy players with value before the market corrects their odds is the skill of the game.
Doing your homework and taking some educated chances is what makes it fun.
Where Can You Bet The NL MVP
As the sports betting industry continues to legalize across Canada and the United States, getting access to legalized online sportsbooks has never been easier.
When it comes to placing futures bets on who will win the National League MVP award, bettors have more options and odds to select from than ever before.
The first step in the process as a bettor is to make sure they are well researched and well informed. There are hundreds of player options who could potentially win the NL MVP award.
A bettor must have their top candidates in mind, including favorites and some longshots.
If you have the skill set to track down the information, looking at the opening odds of previous NL MVP award winners can be insightful.
How often do long shots win? How often do the top betting favorites make it through a whole season on top?
After you have your list of top choices, let’s go searching for the best sportsbooks. There are a couple of things we want to focus on with all the different operators available to us. The first is the welcome bonus and promotions offered by each specific sportsbook.
With such a competitive landscape, operators are working extra hard to try and differentiate themselves from the pack. Take advantage of this by finding a sportsbook with the bonuses and promotions that excite you the most.
The other thing we want to do is shop around for the best odds available for each of the players we are looking at. If one operator has Player A at +800 and another operator has that same player at +1100, there is no doubt which sportsbook we will want to place that bet with.
When it comes to looking for an edge and trying to gain an advantage from the books, the most advantageous play a bettor has at their disposal is odds shopping.
Recent NL MVP Award Winners
| Year | Player | Team |
| 2021 | Bryce Harper | Phillies |
| 2020 | Freddie Freeman | Braves |
| 2019 | Cody Bellinger | Dodgers |
| 2018 | Christian Yelich | Brewers |
| 2017 | Giancarlo Stanton | Marlins |
| 2016 | Kris Bryant | Cubs |
| 2015 | Bryce Harper | Nationals |
| 2014 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers |
| 2013 | Andrew McCutchen | Pirates |
| 2012 | Buster Posey | Giants |
Most NL MVP Awards All Time
| Player | Total NL MVPs | Years |
| Barry Bonds | 7 | 1990, ‘92,’93, 2001, ‘02, ‘03, ‘04 |
| Roy Campanella | 3 | 1951, ‘53, ‘55 |
| Stan Musial | 3 | 1943, ‘46, ‘48 |
| Albert Pujols | 3 | 2005, ‘08, ‘09 |
| Mike Schmidt | 3 | 1980, ‘81, ‘86 |