MLB MVP Odds
Maryland online sportsbooks offer odds on both the AL MVP Award winner and NL MVP Award winner all year long. Odds are released even before the season starts. They’ll change as the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders, but you lock in the posted odds when you place a bet.
Here’s how to bet on the MLB MVPs online in Maryland, including the best available MLB MVP odds directly from Maryland online sportsbooks.
Live MLB MVP odds
Below find the current odds for the top contenders for both the AL MVP and NL MVP at Maryland online sportsbooks. Click on any odds to head to the online sportsbook, access your new player sports bonus, and get your MVP bets in.
Orioles and Nationals MVP candidates
Right now the Baltimore Orioles have a couple of players among the favorites for the 2024 American League MVP with Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman both getting a lot of attention.
When it comes to the 2024 National League MVP, a couple of Washington Nationals players are starting to move up the board in terms of their MVP odds. Both Jesse Winker and CJ Abrams have earned some interest from NL MVP futures bettors.
Keep checking the odds boards above to see the current odds for the top Orioles or Nationals player at major online sportsbooks such as:
How MLB MVP bets work
Betting in the AL and NL MVP markets is the same as with most futures betting markets. You pick a player you think will win the award and you can put a bet down anytime you like, from the offseason until awards time.
Odds are first set in the offseason, but they change as the real contenders separate themselves throughout the year. Performance, roster moves, injuries, and other factors may also impact the odds. However, you lock in the currently posted odds on your bet when you place it. That means, no matter how much the betting lines and odds might change, you’ll get paid at the posted odds when you submitted your ticket.
Of course, all bets are off if the season gets canceled and no AL or NL MVP awards are handed out. Plus, several online sportsbooks have been known to be generous, returning bets when a catastrophic injury ruins a favorite’s chances at an MVP.
MLB MVP betting trends
Looking for an edge in AL and NL MVP voting? You can start by looking at who has won and who hasn’t in the past.
- No designated hitter has ever won the AL MVP award. Don Baylor did win the award in 1979, playing 65 games as a designated hitter. However, he also started 97 games in the outfield that year. Since then, Paul Molitor (1993) Frank Thomas (2000), David Ortiz (2005), and Victor Martinez (2014) have each finished second in AL MVP voting. But no outright DH wins.
- Like we mentioned earlier, pitchers have won 22 total MVPs. But the Baseball Writers’ Association of America has handed out 160 of these awards since 1931, which means pitchers have won less than 14% of them. That also means you can bet confidently on a position player winning MVP in either league, knowing each league’s best pitcher will probably just win the AL or NL the Cy Young Award.
The exception is a pitcher putting up a historically great season. Think Justin Verlander in 2011, who led the AL in wins (24), strikeouts (250), and ERA (2.40). Or Clayton Kershaw in 2014, who led the NL in wins (21) wins ERA (1.77).
Of course, deciding which position to bet on is difficult. In 2020, two first basemen, José Abreu in the AL and Freddie Freeman in the NL, were the winners. In fact, more first basemen have won more than any other position. Since it may help, here’s a look at MVP wins by position:
Player Position | MVP Wins |
---|---|
First | 36 |
Right Field | 28 |
Left Field | 24 |
Center Field | 20 |
Third | 19 |
Catcher | 18 |
Second | 16 |
Shortstop | 16 |
Recent MLB MVP winners
AL MVP winners
Year | Player | Team | Position |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels | SP/DH |
2022 | Aaron Judge | New York Yankees | RF |
2021 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels | SP/DH |
2020 | José Abreu | Chicago White Sox | 1B |
2019 | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | OF |
2018 | Mookie Betts | Boston Red Sox | OF |
2017 | José Altuve | Houston Astros | 2B |
2016 | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | OF |
2015 | Josh Donaldson | Toronto Blue Jays | 3B |
2014 | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | OF |
2013 | Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | 3B |
2012 | Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | 3B |
2011 | Justin Verlander | Detroit Tigers | RHP |
NL MVP winners
Year | Player | Team | Position |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Ronald Acuña Jr. | Atlanta Braves | CF |
2022 | Paul Goldschmidt | St. Louis Cardinals | 1B |
2021 | Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | OF |
2020 | Freddie Freeman | Atlanta Braves | 1B |
2019 | Cody Bellinger | Los Angeles Dodgers | OF |
2018 | Christian Yelich | Milwaukee Brewers | OF |
2017 | Giancarlo Stanton | Miami Marlins | OF |
2016 | Kris Bryant | Chicago Cubs | 3B/OF |
2015 | Bryce Harper | Washington Nationals | OF |
2014 | Clayton Kershaw | Loa Angeles Dodgers | LHP |
2013 | Andrew McCutchen | Pittsburgh Pirates | OF |
2012 | Buster Posey | San Francisco Giants | C |
2011 | Ryan Braun | Milwaukee Brewers | OF |
MLB MVPs from Maryland
Like we mentioned earlier, the last time a Baltimore Oriole was named MVP was when Cal Ripken, Jr. did it for the second time in his career in 1991. His first was in 1983. Of course, Bryce Harper won NL MVP as a member of the Washington Nationals in 2015. That marked the first and only time a Nationals player has ever been named MVP.
When it comes to baseball players born in Maryland, the legendary Babe Ruth, from Baltimore, tops the list. He won AL MVP in 1923 and is considered among the greatest sluggers of all time. Of course, two-time AL MVP and Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken, Jr. is also from Maryland, Havre de Grace to be exact. Plus, three-time AL MVP Jimmie Foxx (1932, 1933, 1938) is from Sudlersville, Maryland.
Other MLB futures odds
AL and NL MVP aren’t the only MLB futures odds you can bet. Others include:
- AL & NL Cy Young winner odds
- AL/NL Rookie of the Year awards
- Division winners
- Pennant winners
- Wild Card berth
- To make the postseason
- World Series winner odds
- MLB regular season win totals
MLB MVP FAQ
One member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America from each city with an MLB team votes on the MVP awards in both leagues. Ballots are cast using a weighted score system. Each voting member ranks the top 10 players in each league, with a corresponding point total. The player from each league with the most points wins.
New York Yankees players have won the most. They’ve got 22 AL MVPs. However, St. Louis Cardinals players have won the most NL MVPs at 20. Barry Bonds has won more MVPs than any other player. He won seven NL MVP awards. However, Bonds has been accused of having used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career, and the same Baseball Writers’ Association of America that named him MVP seven times has kept him out of the Hall Of Fame thus far.
It has been some time since there was any real controversy in MLB MVP voting. Back in 2006, Minnesota Twins player Justin Morneau won AL MVP, even though Yankee Derek Jeter had a higher batting average and on-base percentage and Boston’s David Ortiz had more home runs and RBIs.
Barry Bonds was dominant in winning the 2001 NL MVP. He hit 73 home runs and notched 137 RBI for the San Francisco Giants that year. In 1992, Dennis Eckersley won the AL Cy Young and MVP, dominating the league out of the bullpen with 51 saves and a 1.91 ERA. The thing is, he pitched only 80 innings that season, while Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett put up MVP-like numbers batting .329 and posting 110 RBIs over 160 games. Considering how little he played, comparatively, Eckersley’s year was one of the worst ever for an MVP.