One difference between baseball and the other major professional sports is that physical contact comes at a minimum. Hockey players check one another and line up for face-offs, their heads inches away. Basketball players have contact every possession down the court. You have to be able to tackle in football — and those linemen are in close contact pretty much the whole game. Baseball is different, though, with the only close quarters really coming when a batter stands at home plate over a crouching catcher. For those reasons, MLB is thinking about starting their season in May, or perhaps June, in closed stadiums in Arizona. Sports betting enthusiasts considering MLB futures wagers should take a look at the odds on such props as the odds on the 2020 MVP for the National League.
MLB: Regular Season Awards — NL MVP
| Year | Player | Team | Team Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Cody Bellinger | Los Angeles Dodgers | Lost in NLDS to Washington |
| 2018 | Christian Yelich | Milwaukee Brewers | Lost in NLCS to Los Angeles |
| 2017 | Giancarlo Stanton | Miami Marlins | Missed playoffs |
| 2016 | Kris Bryant | Chicago Cubs | World Series Champions |
| 2015 | Bryce Harper | Washington Nationals | Missed playoffs |
| 2014 | Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers | Lost in NLDS to St. Louis |
| 2013 | Andrew McCutchen | Pittsburgh Pirates | Lost in NLDS to St. Louis |
| 2012 | Buster Posey | San Francisco Giants | World Series Champions |
| 2011 | Ryan Braun | Milwaukee Brewers | Lost in NLCS to St. Louis |
| 2010 | Joey Votto | Cincinnati Reds | Lost in NLDS to Philadelphia |
As you can see, making the playoffs is key to winning an MVP trophy, although there are times when you can put up numbers that are transcendent enough to win the award anyway. Giancarlo Stanton simply get hitting 500-foot bombs long enough to get the notice of the press (and the Yankees, who ended up taking him from the cost-conscious Marlins). Bryce Harper also put up huge numbers for the Nationals, but the Mets won the NL East that year. Other than that, being on a team that wins a lot (and playing in a large market) appears to pay big dividends. Now, let’s look at the odds for the 2020 NL MVP.
Player Odds
- Mookie Betts +550
- Cody Bellinger +700
- Christan Yelich +750
- Ronald Acuna Jr, Juan Soto +1000
- Nolan Arenado, Fernando Tatis, Jr +2000
- Javier Baez, Bryce Harper +2200
- Kris Bryant, Freddie Freeman, Manny Machado, Ketel Marte +2500
- Anthony Rizzo, Jacob deGrom +3300
- Pete Alonso +3400
Mookie Betts is the heavy favorite after coming over in a trade from Boston. If he does win, he would join Frank Robinson as the only two players to win MVP trophies in both leagues. His lineup will help him, with the likes of Corey Seager, Max Muncy and the defending MVP, Cody Bellinger. That should mean that Betts gets plenty of pitches to hit. However, being on the same team with Bellinger could mean that they are fighting each other for votes. I’m not sure that Betts is the right bet, especially with that relatively low value.
Cody Bellinger would be the first player to repeat in consecutive years as MVP since Albert Pujols did it in 2008-09. Pujols was relatively isolated in the St. Louis lineup as far as pure star power goes, but Bellinger doesn’t have that luxury.
Christian Yelich has been one of the best players in the National League over the last two seasons. He is tops in the NL over that stretch in on-base percentage (.415) and OPS (1.046). He won the award two years ago, and he could have won it last year, but there seems to be a desire to avoid giving it to the same player back to back. He did miss the last 18 games of the season due to injury.
Ronald Acuna Jr has both power and speed — and confidence. However, he has an MVP-caliber teammate in the lineup with him, in Freddie Freeman.
Juan Soto still might be the most underrated player in the National League, even after his explosive hitting in the 2019 World Series. He is just 21 years old and has posted on-base percentages north of .400 in each of his seasons to date. He has played in the shadow of Anthony Rendon the last two seasons, but Rendon is now in California. He will now have the biggest bat in the Nats’ lineup and will have all kinds of media exposure, making him an interesting value pick.
