We are two months or so into the 2016 Major League Baseball season. Too early to project who might win the American League MVP Award? Sportsbooks like Mybookie.ag don’t think so. Here’s a look at some of the favorites on sports betting lines.
Taking a Look at the MLB American League MVP Betting Odds
Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles (+300)
Machado has yet to win an MVP in his career and he’s going to be a very rich man soon. He is due to become a free agent after the 2019 season and there are early reports that it would take $400 million to sign him. Machado is young and very good — a 23-year-old MVP candidate in his fifth big league season. As of Tuesday, Machado is hitting .307 with 15 homers and 36 RBI while playing splendid defense at both shortstop and third base. Also, Machado is the current active Major League leader in consecutive games started at 218 games. Machado played in all 162 regular season games last season, the only player in the majors to accomplish the feat. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, Machado as hit 40 home runs as a third baseman, second-most in the AL behind only Josh Donaldson (49). Machado was named AL Player of the Month for April, batting .344 (33-96) with 10 doubles, seven home runs, 16 RBI, and 20 runs scored over 23 games. He led the AL in hits (33), batting average (.344), slugging percentage (.667), and ranked tied for first in extra-base hits (17) in April 2016.
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (+300)
Trout was the preseason betting odds favorite and he should have been considering in Trout’s four years in the majors he has won an MVP and finished second three times, including last year. In May, Trout was a Player of the Month candidate in hitting hit .340 (36/106) with six doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 27 RBI and 26 runs scored. He also walked 21 times in the month. Recently, Trout connected for career home run No. 150 to become one of eight players all-time to log 150 HRs and score 500 runs in their age 24-season or younger: Mel Ott, Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx, Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Robinson and Albert Pujols. On the year as of Tuesday, Trout is batting .306 with 12 homers and 41 RBI.
Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners (+900)
You could have gotten Cano at major long-shot betting odds before the season. Cano is hitting .284 with 16 homers and 48 RBI. So much for the whispers that his skills had deteriorated, that he no longer was close to the same player he was with the Yankees. It was just about a year ago that Cano, a perennial All-Star, bottomed out in the mid-.230s in a dreadful start to the season. Cano posted a .302 average with a .355 on-base percentage and a .529 slugging percentage in 159 games from June 4, 2015 through June 4, 2016. He also had 36 doubles, 35 homers, 101 runs and 110 RBIs in that span. Mariners hitting coach and legendary designated hitter Edgar Martinez says Cano’s health is the biggest difference this summer. “Look, I’m healthy,” said Cano. “I feel good. Last year, I didn’t feel good. I got off to a bad start. Thank God, I was able to pull out of it and finish strong.”
My Expert Betting Prediction
The best value right now on betting odds is probably Boston’s David Ortiz at +1200. But it’s often tough for a DH to win this award.
