Cal Raleigh is closing the gap on Aaron Judge for the AL MVP award.
The latest: Judge is still a -670 favourite to win a third MVP award, mind you, but Raleigh is the only other player even close to dethroning the big slugger. The Seattle Mariners' catcher leads MLB in home runs and RBI entering play on July 19.
Let's take a look at the current AL MVP odds.
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AL MVP odds
Check out the latest odds to win AL MVP. Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip.
Best AL MVP odds
The favourite: Aaron Judge (-1,430)
These were Judge's numbers entering the all-star break:
- 1st in batting average (.355)
- 1st in OPS (1.194)
- 2nd in RBI (81)
- 2nd in HR (35)
Incredible stuff, really.
Judge hitting for power is a given, but can he sustain this average? His previous career-high is .322 from last year.
But even a sizeable amount of regression, which we saw in June, comfortably puts the Yankee star in contention to win the AL Triple Crown.
Judge's current batting average paces MLB, and the next-closest player in batting average is Jacob Wilson (.326).
And none of this has been luck-driven; Judge ranks in the 100th percentile in xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG.
AL MVP notes
- Raleigh (+300) seems like the only man who can topple Judge. The catcher's 38 home runs and 83 RBI pace the league. He's also an 85th percentile framer behind the plate. Raleigh would be just the third catcher to win MVP this century, and the second since Buster Posey in 2012 with the San Francisco Giants.
- Guererro Jr. (+20,000) isn't doing anything special so far, posting a .275/.383/.431 slash line, but Toronto's first baseman tends to heat up as the season goes on. The Blue Jays committed to Vladdy with a 14-year, $500-million deal in early April and will look to get more production from him as the they hunt for a wild-card spot.
