AL MVP
Shohei Ohtani
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
NL MVP
Fernando Tatis Jr. -220
Bryce Harper
Max Muncy
Freddie Freeman
Juan Soto
Trea Turner
Playoffs and championship games are exciting matches when the best teams and players of the season finally play against each other to determine the overall champion.
In Major League Baseball, these events include the World Series, the National League and American League Championships, and the regional championships.
Bettors look forward to these events and to betting futures on the Most Valuable Player Award. The MLB MVP award is given to the most outstanding player in the National League and the American League.
At MaximBet.com, we provide our bettors relevant information on reading and interpreting MLB MVP odds and how the award winners are determined. We also explain how you can make futures bets on MLB MVP odds.
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How to Read MLB MVP Odds
When you go to a sports betting site and start betting on MLB futures bets, you may find betting odds like these:
Odds To Win 2021 American League MVP | ||
Player | Team | AL MVP Odds |
Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels | -650 |
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Toronto Blue Jays | +550 |
Rafael Devers | Boston Red Sox | +4500 |
Xander Bogaerts | Boston Red Sox | +7000 |
Aaron Judge | New York Yankees | +10000 |
Jose Ramirez | Cleveland Indians | +10000 |
Odds To Win 2021 National League MVP | ||
Player | Team | NL MVP Odds |
Jacob deGrom | New York Mets | -120 |
Fernando Tatis Jr. | San Diego Padres | -120 |
Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | +400 |
Max Muncy | Los Angeles Dodgers | +500 |
Freddie Freeman | Atlanta Braves | +800 |
Trea Turner | Los Angeles Dodgers | +1400 |
Kris Bryant | San Francisco Giants | +3300 |
Nolan Arenado | St. Louis Cardinals | +4000 |
Nick Castellanos | Cincinnati Reds | +4000 |
The above tables show the MLB odds as of August 2021 for the top players in the American League and National League.
To understand how the betting lines are read, let’s take the odds for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays as an example.
Odds set at +550 means if you bet $100 on him and he won the American League MVP Award, you would receive a $550 profit plus your original stake of $100, for a total payout of $650.
On the other hand, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels had odds at -650. If you were to bet on him and he won the AL MVP, you would need to stake $650 to win $100.
The numbers also indicate how much of a favorite or longshot a player is. Oddsmakers predict favorites as players with higher chances of winning the MVP Award, while longshots are those with lower chances.
The favorites’ odds are displayed with lower numbers, sometimes indicated with a minus sign. Longshots’ odds have higher numbers, usually represented with a plus sign. Thus, the lower the odds, the more that player is favored to win.
In the table above indicating players’ odds for the 2021 National League MVP, Jacob deGrom is the highly favored player at -120 odds (bet $120 to win $100). On the other hand, Nick Castellanos is the least favored at +4000 odds (bet $100 to win $4,000).
How the MVP Award Is Decided
The Voters
The MVP awards for both the National and American Leagues are voted annually by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
The members of this group include baseball writers for magazines, newspapers, and selected websites.
For each city participating in the MLB, two writers are sent by their local chapter chairman. The writers’ representation must be approved by the association’s national secretary-treasurer.
The Voting Process
The writers are limited to voting only for the league in which their city’s MLB team plays. If the writers’ team is the Boston Red Sox, the writers can only vote for the American League MVP.
Each ballot has 10 spots where voters can list at most 10 players. The votes then use a point system based on the spots where the players are placed.
A vote placed on the first spot on the ballot is worth 14 points. The second spot is worth nine points, the third spot is worth eight, and so on, down to the 10th spot, which is worth one point.
The criteria for each writer’s choices may vary, and several factors can influence their voting decisions. Some of these include a player’s statistics, such as:
- Batting averages
- Home runs
- Runs batted in (RBI)
- Strikeouts
- Stolen bases
- Slugging percentages
Other writers may include more subjective factors in their decisions, such as how much they think the player contributed to their team performance.
Even local biases cannot be eliminated entirely and can factor in the votes. Some writers may even give preferential treatment to less-deserving players, especially when those players come from teams they frequently cover.
The Winners
After the collection and tallying of the votes, the player with the highest points in each league is determined the winner. There will be one winner in the National League and one winner in the American League.
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MVP Betting History
American League MVP Winners
The table below lists winners of the American League MVP award from 2010 to 2020.
Year | AL MVP Winner | Team | Odds |
2020 | Jose Abreu | Chicago White Sox | +6000 |
2019 | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | +125 |
2018 | Mookie Betts | Boston Red Sox | +2500 |
2017 | Jose Altuve | Houston Astros | +1200 |
2016 | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | +160 |
2015 | Josh Donaldson | Toronto Blue Jays | +1600 |
2014 | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | +500 |
2013 | Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | +700 |
2012 | Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | +900 |
2011 | Justin Verlander | Detroit Tigers | +7500 |
2010 | Josh Hamilton | Texas Rangers | +1000 |
National League MVP Winners
The table below shows the winners of the National League MVP award from 2010 to 2020:
Year | NL MVP Winner | Team | Odds |
2020 | Freddie Freeman | Atlanta Braves | +2500 |
2019 | Cody Bellinger | Los Angeles Dodgers | +3000 |
2018 | Christian Yelich | Milwaukee Brewers | +15000 |
2017 | Giancarlo Stanton | Miami Marlins | +4500 |
2016 | Kris Bryant | Chicago Cubs | +1000 |
2015 | Bryce Harper | Washington Nationals | +2000 |
2014 | Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers | +2000 |
2013 | Andrew McCutchen | Pittsburgh Pirates | +1500 |
2012 | Buster Posey | San Francisco Giants | +2500 |
2011 | Ryan Braun | Milwaukee Brewers | +800 |
2010 | Joey Votto | Cincinnati Reds | +5000 |
Making Futures Bets
Matchups are usually not determined until at least the regular season is over. This situation is where futures betting comes in.
For bettors planning to place bets on who will win the MLB MVP, futures betting is a chance to bet on players early in the season before schedules and matchups have been finalized.
Futures are bets placed on events or milestones that are yet to happen, hence its name. From a sports betting perspective, futures usually refer to postseason events like major tournaments or championships.
In the MLB, you can make futures bets on:
- World Series winner
- Win totals
- National League winner
- American League winner
- Cy Young Award
- MVP Award
The MLB MVP bet is considered a futures bet since you are betting on a winner based on an outcome at the end of the MLB regular season.
The MVP Award is usually given some time in mid-December. If you want to get a bigger payout, it’s best to lock in your bets sooner rather than later so you can take advantage of better odds. The closer it gets to the end of the season, the more the odds will change.
The process of placing futures bets may vary among different sportsbooks or online betting sites. However, the procedures are mostly similar and can be done with the following steps:
- Create an account and place a deposit to fund your account.
- Go to the list of sports leagues in the sportsbook and select MLB in the menu.
- Go to the MLB futures and choose either the National League MVP or American League MVP.
- Select a player to bet on. Enter the amount to stake, confirm the bet, and receive your betting ticket.
MLB futures betting can be an exciting way to bet aside from traditional methods like moneylines, run lines, or over/under.
However, betting on futures is considered a long-term commitment. If you place your bets before the regular season, your stake can be tied down to your bet for several weeks or even months.
To improve your betting chances, take time to research the players, especially the hitters, the sluggers, and the shortstops, as well as the teams they belong to.
By doing some research, you can sift through the long list of players in the MVP race and bet on those you think have better chances to win. This method can potentially give you a good value for your stake.
Register with MaximBet.com to start placing your bets on MLB futures. We also accept bets for other sports leagues such as the NBA, NFL, NHL, and even college football.
Our platform has a live betting feature so you can place your bets while watching the game live on your favorite sports channel.
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MLB MVP Odds FAQs
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Did any MLB player ever win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards?
As of 2020, only two MLB players won the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season. Fred Lynn of the Boston Red Sox won both titles in 1975, and Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners won both in 2001.
On the other hand, Fernando Valenzuela of the LA Dodgers has been the only MLB player to have won both the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award. He received these awards in 1981.
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Who will win the next National or American League MVP awards?
While it is difficult to make a prediction, you can check the futures betting lines for MLB MVP odds to know which players are in the running to be the next MVP.
Reading the odds will give you an idea of which players are the favorites and which ones are longshots.
You can also check the players’ individual stats to make a more objective decision when placing your bets. Consider also the teams the players belong to know which teams will likely make it to the championships.
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What are the other ways I can bet on MLB?
Aside from moneylines, runlines, over/under, and futures, other methods to bet on MLB games include parlays and prop bets.
Parlays are betting methods where two or more bets are combined into one betting ticket. All bets must win for you to win the entire parlay. If even one bet loses, you lose the whole parlay.
Prop bets are placed on specific outcomes that are usually not related to the game’s final outcome. Some examples of prop bets are the team’s total number of home runs or a pitcher’s total number of strikeouts.
Sign up with MaximBet.com to start placing bets on MLB MVP futures. Place your initial deposit with us to earn raffle tickets for a chance to win big prizes. For questions, contact us through our 24/7 chat service.