Kyle Schwarber leads the league with 104 RBIs
Aaron Judge is batting .250 in August
Cal Raleigh has five home runs and 17 RBIs this month
Kyle Schwarber has a well-established reputation as one of the league’s top sluggers, but his 2025 campaign may be his best yet. His impressive power and solid batting average have helped the Phillies become one of the top teams in the NL, leading to bettors backing him as a surprise NL MVP winner.
Below, we’ll share why we aren’t backing Schwarber to win as well as share our picks for MVP in both leagues.
Below, we’ll share the odds for the NL and AL MVP races from BetMGM Sportsbook. Sign up for a BetMGM account with our promo code WSNSPORTS to claim the welcome offer: Get Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets*.
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Player | Odds |
---|---|
Aaron Judge | -225 BET HERE |
Cal Raleigh | +100 BET HERE |
Tarik Skubal | +10000 BET HERE |
Jose Ramirez | +15000 BET HERE |
Bobby Witt Jr. | +15000 BET HERE |
Player | Odds |
---|---|
Shohei Ohtani | -5000 BET HERE |
Kyle Schwarber | +800 BET HERE |
Manny Machado | +10000 BET HERE |
Paul Skenes | +15000 BET HERE |
Juan Soto/ Ketel Marte/ Pete Crow-Armstrong | +20000 BET HERE |
The AL MVP race remains an incredibly tight race, but not for the right reasons. Both Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh continue to see their batting averages tank in August, with the former batting .250 and the latter batting .203. Raleigh has hit two more home runs and seven more RBIs, helping his resume inch closer to Judge’s.
While Raleigh remains the popular bet, it is a mistake to count Judge out. The slugger is once again posting elite stats, and now he is helping the Yankees climb back up the AL East standings. If his bat gets hot and New York manages to overtake Toronto to win the division, it could easily sway MVP voters to back him to win his third MVP.
While both AL favorites are slumping, there are no other players worth considering for this year’s award.
Phillies’ slugger Kyle Schwarber has forced his way into the NL MVP race thanks to leading the league in RBIs (104) while ranking second in home runs (44) and fourth in OPS (.947). He has helped the Phillies take control of the NL East and establish themselves as one of the best teams in baseball.
Schwarber’s season has been impressive to watch, but don’t be fooled into betting on him to win this year’s NL MVP. For one reason, he has primarily served as the Phillies’ DH. Ohtani won as a DH last season, but that was thanks to setting career records for home runs (54), RBIs (130), and stolen bases (59). Schwarber may be able to surpass those home run and RBI totals, but he doesn’t steal bases. That makes him one-dimensional, making it impossible to argue his value is greater than Ohtani’s.
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Raleigh has been getting more hits over the last week, batting .333 with two home runs. The Mariners have slipped below the Astros in the AL West, but his overall numbers and play behind the plate will be enough to win over MVP voters.
The MLB MVP races are desperate for some new faces, and Raleigh will give voters a chance to do just that in 2025.
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Speaking of voter fatigue, Ohtani has won three MVP awards over the last four seasons. The only year he lost was when Judge broke the home run record, but he has won the award in two consecutive seasons. While this will have voters looking for other candidates, none have done enough to even be considered.
With the superstar owning the second-best OPS in baseball and beginning to pitch deeper into games, Ohtani will win his fourth MVP this fall.
Doing your research before betting on this year’s winners of the MLB MVP awards is incredibly important. While Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge have been the top two players in the league for a few years now, it hardly makes them a lock to win the award in 2025.
Before placing any wager on the MVP, we always recommend shopping for value. The favorites often see their odds lose value, meaning bettors have to wager more money to see a solid payout. Be sure to check the price on the other favorites before comparing stats and the other intangibles that MVP voters use when deciding on the winner.
If you are planning to bet on this year’s MVP races, be sure to get your bets in early to lock in the best value. These odds will be the best you’ll see as the field is whittled down by injury, slumbs, and other factors throughout the season.
Reading the odds for an MVP bet is reasonably straightforward. When checking odds from a sportsbook, you’ll see numbers with a (+) or (-) in front of them. The plus sign means that you will win the number after it when betting $100. If the number has a minus sign, you’ll need to bet that amount to win $100.
Most sportsbooks organize the betting favorites according to their odds, making it easy to see. The biggest favorites will have a minus sign in front of their odds. The bigger the number, the more favored that player is.
Be sure to remember that betting on heavy favorites means smaller payouts. For example, if you bet on Aaron Judge at -165, you’ll need to bet $165 just to win $100. If you instead wagered on Bobby Witt Jr., you’d need to spend $100 for a chance to win $450. Given that the betting favorite isn’t a lock to win the award, we prefer to look for players with more favorable odds.
There is no shortage of sportsbooks to wager on the MLB MVP. Thanks to their fantastic platform and competitive odds, Caesars Sportsbook is always a great choice. Caesars brings us the most Las Vegas-feeling betting experience, so it is our go-to option. Sign up for an account today using our promo code WSN20X and claim the welcome offer: Bet $1, Double Your Winnings Next 20 Bets.
If you aren’t looking for a Las Vegas-style sportsbook, you can’t go wrong with FanDuel Sportsbook. The former DFS giant has become the most popular online sportsbook in the country. People flock to the platform for the valuable bonuses and easy-to-use layout. All new users at FanDuel can claim the following welcome bonus: Bet $5, Get $300 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.
Wherever you decide to wager on the AL & NL MVP, check out our selection of the best online sportsbooks before signing up.
Over the past four seasons, Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge have combined to win five MVP awards. The superstars are the favorites to add more hardware to their collection this season, but we have a lot of baseball to go.
Before the rise of Judge and Ohtani, the MVP races have been up for grabs in most seasons. Below are the last ten MVP winners from the AL & NL.
Year | AL MVP | NL MVP |
---|---|---|
2024 | Aaron Judge | Shohei Ohtani |
2023 | Shohei Ohtani | Ronald Acuna Jr. |
2022 | Aaron Judge | Paul Goldschmidt |
2021 | Shohei Ohtani | Bryce Harper |
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 Harer |
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