MLB betting: Handicapping NL MVP Race
Injury to Padres SS Tatis Shakes Up Odds
Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals was supposed to have some company at the top of the odds to win the 2022 National League Most Valuable Player award, but that changed when it was announced that a fractured wrist would sideline San Diego Padres’ infielder Fernando Tatis Jr.
With Tatis out of action for a few months and Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr.coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament, it is no wonder that Soto is the top candidate heading into the season.
There have been lineup changes among some of the prominent National League teams and it will be interesting to see how that impacts not only the pennant chase, but also the race for the NL’s Most Valuable Player.
Here is a breakdown for those who bet online of the latest odds to be named the National League Most Valuable Player.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and MLB odds. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Versatile Soto Leading the Field
Soto was in the running for the Most Valuable Player Award a season ago when he led the NL with 145 walks and an on-base percentage of .465. Soto came one shy of recording his second 30-homer season and hit .313.
The 23-year-old finished second in the MVP voting in 2021 and is the one to beat heading into his fourth season. He already has three top-10 finishes in the NL MVP balloting and another one could be on the horizon in 2022.
There seems to be no limit to what Soto is capable of and it will be worth the price of admission to see what he can do in 2022. The MLB betting odds make Soto the MVP favorite.
Pick: Juan Soto +325
Acuna Looking to Make Up for Lost Time
Ronald Acuna Jr. finished in the top 12 in the MVP voting in each of his first three years with the Atlanta Braves and was enjoying his best season yet in 2021. The outfielder was on pace to make runs at a season with 45-50 home runs and nearly 150 runs scored before a season-ending knee injury limited him to 82 games.
Just 24, Acuna already has 105 homers and could surpass the 100 mark in stolen bases. The World Series champions will be a little different following the departure of Freddie Freeman, and Acuna will be at the forefront of the Braves’ bid for back-to-back titles.
He will be a popular choice in the MLB picks, although coming off a serious injury will cause some to be a little conservative early in the season.
Pick: Ronald Acuna Jr.+800
Reigning MVP Ready for an Encore
How is it possible that Bryce Harper is starting his second decade as a major leaguer?
The former first-round pick by the Washington Nationals had two so-so (by his standards) seasons after signing with the Philadelphia Phillies, but it all came together in 2021. He hit .309 with a league-leading 42 doubles, scored over 100 runs for the first time since 2018 and, if not for missing 21 games, he might have recorded the second 40-homer season.
Still, he did enough to win his second NL MVP and join a select company by being named MVP for two different teams. There is a young group around him so if they continue to develop, he could post even better numbers in 2022.
Picks: Bryce Harper+900.
Life in Hollywood Agrees with Dodgers Duo
Harper’s former teammate, Trea Turner, saw his splits slightly increase when he moved from the Washington Nationals to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The .950 OPS mark during his 52 games with the Dodgers would have been the second-highest of his career if he remained on that pace for a full season.
Turner’s 28 home runs and 77 RBIs were season highs. He finished as the NL batting champion with a .328 average and also led the league with 32 stolen bases.
The Dodgers have one of the best lineups in baseball so he could make a run at his first MVP award. He is not alone according to the Las Vegas odds.
Former American League MVP Mookie Betts was second in the voting in the NL in his first season with the Dodgers, but other than his on-base percentage, Betts’ numbers dropped from 2020 to 2021. Although missing 40 games didn’t help, for the first time in the last five 162-game seasons, he failed to score at least 100 runs. Betts is due for a bounce-back season.
Both Turner and Betts could put up big numbers in a dynamic Dodgers lineup.
Picks: Mookie Betts, Trea Turner +1200.
Ready to Bounce Back
San Diego Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. originally was the co-favorite along with Soto to win the award according to the MLB lines, but the injury bug bit the mercurial Tatis once again. Tatis will miss multiple months due to a wrist injury.
.@BenVerlander gives all the details on Padres superstar SS Fernando Tatís Jr.‘s offseason wrist injury: pic.twitter.com/5imC7z2AQJ
— Flippin’ Bats Podcast (@FlippinBatsPod) March 16, 2022
Tatis finished third in the 2021 MVP voting after bashing 42 homers and 31 doubles in 130 games. When healthy, there might not be a more feared offensive force than the 23-year-old Tatis, but staying has been an issue.
His MVP candidacy will be determined by how much time he misses.
Christian Yelich won the NL batting title in his first two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was the MVP in 2018 and finished second in 2019.
Yelich hit .205 and .248 in the last two years, but the MLB bettings odds are calling for Yelich to return to being an MVP candidate.
Pete Alonso burst onto the scene in 2019 when he hit 53 homers to be named the National League Rookie of the Year and finish seventh in the MVP voting.
A season with 37 homers and 94 RBIs would be tremendous for most hitters, but that was not the case for Alonso as his slugging and OPS numbers dropped sharply from his debut season.
