Shohei Ohtani Favored in National League MVP Odds

We have a new favorite in National League MVP odds with Los Angeles designated hitter Shohei Ohtani listed with odds of +160 at BetMGM. Ohtani was the closest Major League Baseball had ever had to a default MVP favorite a couple of years ago. Ohtani was the first player since Babe Ruth to consistently check both the elite hitter and pitcher boxes. He was a daily starter in the lineup and every fifth day he would be on the mound. A competing athlete would have needed to have a record-breaking year—Aaron Judge in 2022, for example—or Ohtani would have to get hurt in order to prevent him from winning baseball’s highest individual award. The circumstances were different this year as it was Ohtani’s first with the Los Angeles Dodgers following his major free agency contract. He would not pitch this season due to an elbow ailment, therefore his services would be primarily as a full-time designated hitter. Furthermore, in baseball history, no full-time designated hitter has ever won the title of Most Valuable Player.

Check out the latest MVP odds at BetMGM.

Ohtani was not listed as the National League MVP favorite last week, but that changed this week after teammate Mookie Betts got hurt on Sunday. Betts was the favorite at odds of +120 to win the NL MVP award before he got hurt. Those numbers have now changed with Ohtani taking over the role as the favorite. Betts was hit by a pitch in Sunday’s game against Kansas City and he broke his left hand. He is expected to miss up to two months.

Betts is not currently listed in the MVP futures market due to the immediate uncertainty surrounding his comeback. Ohtani is currently the favorite to win his third MVP award and first in the National League, according to oddsmakers at BetMGM. He is listed with odds of +160. Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper is the second choice at odds of +300. San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Dodgers Freddie Freeman are next at odds of +900, while Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna is +1000. No other player has odds of less than +1800.

When it comes to winning the MVP Award, designated hitters have rarely been given a second thought. Players like Edgar Martinez of Seattle and Frank Thomas of Chicago probably should have been given more attention in the past, but voters simply didn’t give designated hitters much respect. That has now changed since the National League joined the American League in having the DH rule. Furthermore, the stigma virtually vanishes because Ohtani has already shown that he is a unique threat with a mitt on when healthy.

NL MVP odds on Ohtani were not as low earlier this season because of his involvement in an illicit betting controversy involving his clubhouse interpreter. However, the clouds appear to have cleared now that it has been determined that the slugger was the unintentional victim of a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scam carried out by that interpreter, who has pled guilty to two related offenses and faces up to 33 years in jail.Check out the latest MVP odds at BetMGM.