- A dark horse at +1600 odds may surprise oddsmakers and take the NL MVP this season.
- A Rays player at +750 odds presents great value for AL Cy Young.
- Sandy Alcantara (+500) looks to become seventh pitcher ever to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards.
LAS VEGAS – The 2022 MLB Season has come to an end and it’s time to start looking ahead to the 2023 season. We saw historic performances by Aaron Judge, Sandy Alcantara, and Shohei Ohtani last season.
Who will it be this upcoming season and who is bringing home the hardware?
NL MVP
- Favorite: Bryce Harper (+500)
Bryce Harper unsurprisingly opens as the favorite to win the NL MVP at online gambling sites.
The problem with that is there has only been one person to win back-to-back NL MVPs. His name is Barry Bonds, and he did it four years in a row from 2001-2004.
Harper is currently rehabbing from UCL surgery in his throwing arm, however; this shouldn’t cause too much concern for Bryce as he supposedly dealt with the torn UCL ligament since April.
Look for him to dominate at the plate when he returns as a DH.
- Dark Horse: Austin Riley (+1600)
Austin Riley is a 25-year-old third baseman for the Atlanta Braves. The young man has made huge strides since his rookie year, putting himself in the MVP conversation last season and even became the frontrunner after a scorching hot July.
He picked up right where he left off at the second half of the 2021 season, where he slashed .333 with 19 home runs after the All-Star Break.
Riley presents the longest odds for the NL MVP on Bovada, but he is more qualified than the odds indicate. If he continues this steady improvement in 2023, expect Austin Riley to earn some hardware.
AL MVP
- Favorite: Shohei Ohtani (+300)
Shohei Ohtani is a unicorn. He would’ve earned the AL MVP in 2022 had Aaron Judge not hit 62 home runs. Ohtani was the first player in AL or NL history with 10 wins on the mound and 30 homers at the plate in the same season.
His impressive talent to be great as a pitcher and a hitter at the highest level earns him +300 odds for the 2023 AL MVP.
- Dark Horse: Jose Ramirez (+800)
Jose Ramirez had a sneaky good year with a young Cleveland Guardians squad. His late MVP-like play last season earned them a division title and a spot in the playoffs.
In 2022 he hit .280 with 29 home runs and 126 RBIs. He has finished top-five in MVP voting four times in his career and is getting great value at +800.
NL CY YOUNG
- Favorite: Sandy Alcantara (+500)
Sandy Alcantara was the best pitcher in baseball in 2022. Alcantara was the first unanimous NL Cy Young since Clayton Kershaw in 2014.
He was a work horse that led the league in innings thrown, including six complete games. It would be tough to replicate this performance, but Sandy has the tools to do so.
- Dark Horse: Zack Wheeler (+700)
Zack Wheeler had an impressive 2022 season with the Phillies. A 2.82 ERA and 1.04 WHIP helped lead his squad to a World Series appearance against the Astros.
He is likely to repeat his success in 2023 and presents good value at +700.
AL CY YOUNG
- Favorite: Gerrit Cole (+375)
It was an up and down season for Gerrit Cole in 2022, where he struggled hard in the beginning before finding his stuff as the season progressed. Even after early struggles, Cole led the AL in strikeouts with 257.
His high velocity and nasty off-speed pitches put him in good position to earn his first AL MVP.
- Dark Horse: Shane McClanahan (+750)
Shane McClanahan’s sophomore season was spectacular. He had a 2.54 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and 194 strikeouts over 166 innings pitched. He’s a funky lefty thrower with plenty of movement on all his pitches.
At +750 odds for the Cy Young in 2023, it is hard not to find value.
As many great players battle for a World Series title, their performances earn remarkable individual achievement awards. These MLB betting specials can be found on Bovada Sportsbook.
Taking both favorites to win the MVP