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In Major League Baseball, there is no more important individual award than the MVP, with only the Cy Young Award for pitchers really coming close. Each year, one player in each league who has played exceedingly well will win the award. For baseball players, winning an MVP award is a moment that can stand as the highlight of a career.
For sports bettors, baseball’s MVP awards carry some additional weight, as well. It’s a popular futures bet every year. Betting on the American League or National League MVP are simple wagers that everyone can understand, but also an intense enough option for experienced bettors. Keep reading for a full guide on how to bet on baseball’s next MVP winners in the state of Florida.
Current MLB MVP odds
MVP odds explained
Before making your first bet on the AL or NL MVP, you need to be able to read sports odds to understand what you’re betting on. At most US sportsbooks, the default odds will appear in the American or moneyline format, so that’s what we’ll go over here.
In general, American odds will appear as a positive or negative number of three or more digits. Negative numbers indicate favorites and positive numbers indicate underdogs. With a sports futures bet like an MVP wager, especially before the season starts or early in the season, all the names you see listed will likely have positive odds due to the number of candidates and number of unknowns about the upcoming MLB betting season.
Positive odds represent how much money you could win on a successful $100 bet, while negative odds represent how much you would need to wager to win $100. While $100 is the base amount, you can place smaller or larger wagers, with payouts adjusting accordingly.
For example, if Randy Arozarena put together a strong early season and had odds of +500 to win the AL MVP, you could bet $100 to win $500, returning a total of $600. You could also bet $200 to win $1,000, or $50 to win $250.
Betting on MVP futures in Florida
When betting on MVP futures, MLB MVP betting odds will become available before the start of the season, with sportsbooks employing various mathematical models and human experts to craft their numbers.
The lines will then change throughout the season. You’ll be able to bet on them over a lengthy span of time, with advantages and disadvantages to betting at different times. Betting in the offseason, for instance, means that both the sportsbooks and you have fewer data points at your disposal. This means that the lines will not be as accurate, and you also have less on which to base a potential bet. Betting during the season means more information for everyone, but also less potential value, particularly if you want to bet on a favorite.
Another key piece of information is the rules that your sportsbook has in terms of extraordinary events. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most of an MLB season and sportsbooks had to deal with an unforeseen circumstance. Check how your FL online betting site handles special events before placing bets. Most will consider a bet void if a player doesn’t take an at-bat the whole season.
MVP betting trends
When you’re betting on the next AL or NL MVP, there are some data and trends that you may want to consider. The characteristics of past winners can sometimes help us get a better idea of what to look for and hopefully make better choices as to whom the future winners will be.
As with many sports, MVP winners tend to come from good teams. You are unlikely to win the MVP if your team is not among the best in the league. Thus, looking at the teams expected to be good for the upcoming season could be a good first step. Do note, however, that Mike Trout has won two of his three MVPs up to this point while playing on sub-.500 teams. So there can be exceptions, particularly for truly great players.
While traditional stats like home runs, runs batted in and batting average still carry weight with some voters, advanced stats and analytics play a larger role in the MVP discussion. So looking at a player’s OPS+ or other advanced stats may point to a potential MVP.
In terms of repeat winners, it’s generally only the true generational talents who have managed to win the award more than once. Take that into consideration and realize that if a player is not destined for the Hall of Fame, he may not be the type to win the award more than one time in his career.
Past AL/NL MVP winners
| Year | AL MVP | NL MVP |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jose Abreu | Freddie Freeman |
| 2019 | Mike Trout | Cody Bellinger |
| 2018 | Mookie Betts | Christian Yelich |
| 2017 | Jose Altuve | Giancarlo Stanton |
| 2016 | Mike Trout | Kris Bryant |
| 2015 | Josh Donaldson | Bryce Harper |
| 2014 | Mike Trout | Clayton Kersahw |
| 2013 | Miguel Cabrera | Andrew McCutchen |
| 2012 | Miguel Cabrera | Buster Posey |
| 2011 | Justin Verlander | Ryan Braun |
MLB MVP winners from Florida
So far the only player to win an MVP award while playing for a team based in Florida is Giancarlo Stanton. The outfielder won the NL MVP in 2017 while collecting 59 home runs and 132 RBIs for the Marlins.
As far as players who were born in Florida but won the award while playing for a team outside the state, Chipper Jones stands out. He was born in DeLand, Florida, but played his career for the Atlanta Braves. He won the NL MVP in 1999 with the Braves and was part of the 1995 World Series-winning team. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Among current players, Andrew McCutchen was born in Fort Meade, Florida, and won the 2013 NL MVP.
Other fun MLB futures bets
While the MVP award is one of the most popular for futures bets in MLB, there are other options, as well. Some of those are team-based futures and some are for individuals. Here are a few other bets that you can make in the MLB futures odds market at top Florida betting apps, including Hard Rock Sportsbook and the BetMGM betting app:
- World Series champion odds
- AL/NL Rookie of the Year
- AL/NL Cy Young Award odds
- Division winners
- To make playoffs (yes/no)
- MLB season win totals odds
Who votes on the MVP awards?
The voting for the AL and NL MVP awards takes place before the playoffs begin, and we learn the winners after the World Series has concluded. Voters are members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Each city with a team in the American League or National League gets two voters for that league’s award. New York, Chicago and Los Angeles get two voters for each league since they have teams in both leagues.
Each voter picks 10 players and ranks them from No. 1 to No. 10. The top-ranked player gets 14 points, and then it goes nine points for second, eight for third, etc., all the way down to one point for 10th. All of the points from every voter are added up, and the player who collects the most wins the MVP for that league and year.
Who has won the most MVP awards?
The player with the most MVP wins in MLB history is Barry Bonds. He won the award seven times, including four consecutive at one point. While Bonds is widely considered to be one of the best to ever play the game, he also has been a subject of controversy stemming from allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. Still, Bonds’ seven MVP wins tower over the competition, with no other player in baseball history winning more than three.
Which MLB team has had the most MVP winners?
With a long and storied history, the New York Yankees have the most MVP winners of any MLB team. Behind the Yankees, who have won the award 22 times, the St. Louis Cardinals have produced the second-most winners, with 20. No other team has had more than 15 MVPs, though both the Giants and Dodgers have had 14 winners.