Unlike the American League, the top of the odds board for the 2021 National League MVP has five players listed at shorter than 10/1 odds. And once again southern California will rock the two favorites with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts topping the odds list, slightly ahead of teammate Cody Bellinger. This is a familiar spot for Betts who looks to become an MVP in both leagues joining Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to do that. Betts won the award in 2018 as a member of the Boston Red Sox. The Dodgers have an abundance of riches with three players positioned in the top-eight. World Series MVP Corey Seager is grouped with a trio of players at +1509. Among them are last year’s winner Freddie Freeman and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich. Let’s take a look at a few players who have value in the NL MVP futures market. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of odds and to make your wager.
2021 NL MVP Odds at BookMaker.eu
Mookie Betts +703
Cody Bellinger +753
Juan Soto +803
Fernando Tatis Jr. +853
Ronald Acuna Jr +950
Nolan Arenado +1256
Christian Yelich +1509
Corey Seager +1509
Francisco Lindor +1509
Freddie Freeman +1509
Bryce Harper +1812
Manny Machado +2218
Trevor Story +2830
Anthony Rizzo +3545
J.T. Realmuto +3545
Ketel Marte +3545
Kris Bryant +3545
Javier Baez +4000
Paul Goldschmidt +4000
Pete Alonso +4000
Trea Turner +4000
2021 NL MVP Favorites
If you plan on dropping a few bills on this futures bet here is one thing to keep in mind. The last six NL MVPs have been either an outfielder or first baseman. In fact only three players outside those positions have won the league’s highest honor over the last 20 years. There has been a change in philosophy recently allowing other position players to put up the numbers required to win. Case in point; the shortstop position isn’t just about defense anymore. San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. is just part of the renaissance with Seager, Francisco Lindor and Colorado’s Trevor Story among the top 15 on the board.
Betts shined the brightest on a team of stars last season. He hit .292 with 16 homers and 39 RBIs while also winning a Gold Glove. He finished second in voting to Freeman in 2020. The issue here is that he’s competing with teammates Bellinger and Seager among others for votes. And playing on such a loaded team could actually go against him unless he does something to separate himself from the rest of the field.
Bellinger could have a rebound season after slumping over the first half of 2020. He finished strong, which is a good sign, but his 2019 numbers might be tough to replicate. That’s why I find it odd that he’s listed ahead of Juan Soto, Tatis Jr. and Ronald Acuna on the odds list. The player that stands out among the upper tier is Soto, who had an obscene slash line of .351/.490/.695 in 47 games last season. His patience at the plate – he struck out just 28 times – will help avoid any prolonged slumps and he has some protection in the lineup.
2021 NL MVP Longshots
There are some tantalizing choices further down the list with Freeman among them. He’s been solid since joining the Braves in 2011 so it wasn’t a complete surprise he took home the honor last year. He never hit higher than .319 in any previous season until raking at .341 in 2020. He also led the senior circuit in doubles and runs scored. I think it’s too much to ask for him to repeat those numbers and there are too many good players to sneak in if Freddie stumbles.
The longshot with the most upside could be Bryce Harper. The young phenom has been around the league a decade now and the shock of that deal he inked with the Phillies is old news. Now it’s time for Bryce to play ball. He led MLB in walks in two of the last three seasons and started to come around last season hitting .268 with 13 homers. He said he feels more comfortable now in Philly and if that’s the case he should put up numbers closer to his 2015 MVP season when he hit .330 with 42 homers.
Nolan Arenado will see his power numbers decline now that he’s out of the thin air in Denver and manning the hot corner for the Cards. He’s still a candidate as is Yelich, though I wouldn’t waste my money on either player. Lost in the frenzy of publicity over Tatis, Manny Machado has value at his current price for a team that should rival the Dodgers in the NL West and reach the postseason. Machado overcame a difficult start to produce solid numbers for the Friars in 2020.
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