Coming off a historically great season, Shohei Ohtani is on track to win back-to-back MVP honours.
The latest: Ohtani authored MLB's first 50-50 season last year, bashing 54 home runs and stealing 59 bases. Now in his second year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani has begun to pitch as well. He's the odds-on favourite, with a couple of others creeping up the odds table.
Let's take a look at the current NL MVP odds as of July 19.
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NL MVP odds
Check out the latest odds to win NL MVP. Click linked odds to add selection to your betslip.
The favourite: Shohei Ohtani (-1,430)
Ohtani carried +125 preseason odds, and betting him at that price might have seemed ridiculous.
Now? It would be a steal.
The three-time MVP is leading the NL in home runs (32) while batting .273 with a .978 OPS. That's nothing new — check out Ohtani's resume over the past four seasons:
- .984 OPS
- 169 OPS+
- 2.84 ERA
- 151 ERA+
- 37.7 bWAR
As a two-way superstar, Ohtani can accrue value at the plate and on the mound in incomparable ways.
That wasn't the case in 2024, though, as Ohtani was unable to pitch while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
But now, he's back on the bump with some innings under his belt. Ohtani has repeatedly touched 100 mph with his fastball and has given up just one run through nine innings pitched with 10 Ks.
The only thing that could undo Ohtani is the unpredictability of injuries.
If he gets through the season with relatively few games missed at the plate while building up on the mound, it'll be exceptionally difficult for anyone to outdo him.
MVP betting notes
- No one expected Pete-Crow Armstrong (+650) to be this good, this quickly. The 23-year-old ranks inside MLB's top 10 in home runs (25) and RBI (71) and is fourth in stolen bases (27) entering play on July 13. A 40-40 sophomore season could be in the cards, and that would warrant MVP votes.
- Juan Soto (+2,200) had a less-than-stellar start with the New York Mets, but he entered the all-star break on fire. Over the past 35 games, Soto is batting .322 with 13 home runs and a spectacular 1.115 OPS. If he can continue this power surge, he may get some MVP consideration by season's end.
