Who Is the Betting Favorite for the National League MVP?

Will Ronald Acuna Jr. make it two years in a row? Vegas seems to think his odds are good.

Acuna has opened the season as the favorite to win the National League MVP but his competition will be tough. As of March 21, MGM Grand has Acuna listed at +525 with a slew of Los Angeles Dodgers on his tail. Mookie Betts, who finished as the run-up in 2023, has the second-best odds at +650.

The American League MVP from 2023, Shohei Ohtani, made the move from the AL to the NL this off-season after signing the biggest contract in American professional sports history at 10-years, $700 million with the Dodgers.

His shift from AL to NL puts him in the race to catch Acuna Jr. as the pitcher/slugger sits at +900 on the NL MVP odds board.

But Ohtani will not be pitching this season. Ohtani underwent elbow surgery in the offseason and will not pitch for the 2024 season. He will instead be the full-time DH for the Dodgers, a position in which he did absurdly well last year for the Angels posting a 1.066 OPS and hitting 44 home runs.

So while his 3.14 ERA over 132 innings won’t be matched, his numbers at the plate could see a bump with a focus on hitting. Ohtani opens the season at +900, which is good enough for third. Of course off the diamond, Ohtani is now dealing with some possible gambling allegations related to his former interpreter that could do some damage to his PR.

After that it is a group that features yet another Dodger with first baseman Freddie Freeman clocking in at +1,100 odds and Fernando Tatis Jr. at +1,000.

Looking for a longshot? How about Cincinnati Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz? The 22 year old burst on to the scene last year with lightning fast speed and light tower power, and he will have to get a lot better (along with the Reds) but his odds at +8,000 could result in a huge pay day.

The MLB season opens on March 28.