Some of the major postseason awards for Major League Baseball seem to be wrapped up, but anything can happen as we slog through the dog days of August to reach the homestretch of the regular season in September. And since all awards are based on regular-season performance, that’s all a bettor needs to know.
MVP, MVP
At the beginning of the year, Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were the prohibitive favorites to win the MVP awards in their respective leagues. After all, Judge won the home run and RBI crowns in 2024, and Ohtani was the first player to reach 50 stolen bases and 50 home runs in one season. And this year he’s pitching too, so get ready for more kudos. The suggestion that they both could not repeat as MVPs was dismissed out of hand.
But then Judge went down with an injured elbow in late July and was placed on the IL. At the same time, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh continued to pile on the home runs, and at this juncture, leads all baseball with 42 dingers. He briefly overtook Judge in the betting odds for MVP, but a week later was back in second place. At BetMGM this week, Judge was -300 to take the crown, while Raleigh was +220. Judge came back from injury this week, but his return didn’t seem to help the suddenly hapless Yankees. But if he returns to his regular form, those odds will lengthen.
In the National League, Ohtani has not missed a beat. Despite a slew of strikeouts over the past week, he has also piled on the home runs, now with 39. Even though Ohtani is second to the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber, he still has a healthy lead in MVP odds, -1000 to +550. And the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is a distant third at +1800.
Cy Young Race
You might as well give a second consecutive American League Cy Young award to the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal. He’s dominating opponents with an 11-3 record, a 2.18 ERA, and 181 Ks. While Garret Crochet of the Red Sox is also having a great year with a 13-1 record, and ERA of 2.24 and 183 Ks, he’s a distant second to Skubal at -700 to +475.
In the NL, you have a more competitive race. The Pirates’ Paul Skenes has shown his rookie year was no fluke by posting an ERA of 2.08. But by playing for the miserable Pirates, his 6-8 record isn’t indicative of his excellence. But another pitcher, the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler, is having a fabulous year with a 9-5 record, 2.80 ERA, and 182 Ks. This one is closer with Skenes at -210 and Wheeler at +175. But with Wheeler dealing with an injury, a pitcher is lurking in the same Phillies locker room as the next contender, Cristopher Sanchez at +1100.
Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year race is always a “what have you done for me lately” kind of award. That’s why the 22-year-old Nick Kurtz of the Las Vegas A’s vaulted to the top of the AL race on the strength of his 6-for-6 game with four home runs that tied for the most total bases in one game in baseball history. That will get everyone’s attention, and it did. Kurtz went from an also-ran to the top and is now listed as the favorite at -5000. He jumped over the Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (+2000), who is now on the IL.
The National League is much tighter, and anything can happen. The leader at this point is the Braves’ Drake Baldwin. His stats aren’t overwhelming, so he’s benefiting from a weak class of rookies in the NL. He’s batting .281 with 11 homers and 42 RBI. He’s leading the betting at -140. The Brewers have the next two contestants in Isaac Collins (.292/7/37) and pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, a phenom who was named to the AL All-Star team after pitching in only 5 games. He’s currently injured, so he’ll have to move fast to make up ground on Baldwin.
So while there are a couple of clear winners if the season ended today, it’s baseball, so anything can happen. Injuries, fantastic performances, or severe slumps can impact the award winners. Take them as you will, and you can cash.
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