Best bets for MLB Futures
AL MVP
DraftKings:
Ohtani -425
Judge +1800
Seager +2800
Franco +3500
Fanduel:
Ohtani -500
Judge +2500
Seager +4000
Franco +4000
Last 30 Days:
Ohtani: 33 hits, 22 runs, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 13 home runs, 26 RBIs, 27 strikeouts/18 walks, 4 stolen bases, .324/.426/.784, 3.41 ERA, 29 IP, 11 ER, 25 hits, 3 HR, 34 strikeouts/13 walks. .234 opponent batting average.
Franco: 30 hits, 14 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 9 RBIs, 11 strikeouts/10 walks, 10 stolen bases, .303/.364/.424
Seager: 41 hits, 19 runs, 11 doubles, 8 home runs, 31 RBIs, 24 strikeouts/9 walks, 1 stolen base, .357/.400/.661
Judge (On IL): 10 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 6 home runs, 8 RBIs, 13 strikeouts/10 walks, .263/.417/.789
The only thing that will prevent Shohei Ohtani from winning his second MVP in three seasons is an injury. This year I don’t really have to sell it.
Wander Franco would be a more serious contender if Ohtani is sidelined for an extended amount of time. With Franco, it’s important to remember he’s still not even 21 years old and he’s yet to reach his full potential. Aaron Judge and Corey Seager have both missed too many games to contend this year seriously.
NL MVP
DraftKings:
Ronald Acuna -140
Corbin Carroll +650
Freddie Freeman +700
Mookie Betts +1800
Luis Arraez +2500
FanDuel:
Ronald Acuna -130
Corbin Carroll +500
Freddie Freeman +700
Mookie Betts +2500
Luis Arraez +2500
Last 30 Days:
Acuna: 33 hits, 20 runs, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 18 RBIs, 15 strikeouts/11 walks, 12 stolen bases, .292/.352/.487
Carroll: 35 hits, 28 runs, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 10 home runs, 24 RBIs, 20 strikeouts/10 walks, 8 stolen bases, .337/.410/.750
Freeman: 33 hits, 21 runs, 8 doubles, 5 home runs, 19 RBIs, 21 strikeouts/13 walks, 3 stolen bases, .327/.420/.554
Betts: 29 hits, 22 runs, 2 doubles, 7 home runs, 15 RBIs, 18 strikeouts/13 walks, 4 stolen bases, .287/.379/.515
Luis Arraez: 42 hits, 15 runs, 5 doubles, 1 home run, 20 RBIs, 6 strikeouts/6 walks, .420/.464/.500
Ronald Acuna has separated himself from the rest of the field here and finds himself in a similar situation to Ohtani where the most serious threat to his MVP campaign at this point is an injury.
An unlikely contender has emerged in the MVP race, rookie outfielder Corbin Carroll is not only well on his way to winning the NL Rookie of the Year, but he’s vaulted past several other serious contenders and now finds himself the only player besides Acuna and Freeman with odds under 10/1. A quick look at the 30-day #s shows Corbin Carroll is outplaying Acuna over the short term.
Carroll was still available at 200/1 and 100/1 at recently as two weeks ago and has seemingly seen his odds cut almost every day. A rookie winning MVP has only happened twice in MLB history, Red Sox outfielder Fred Lynn did it in 1975 and Ichiro Suzuki did it more recently on the Mariners in 2001; although coming over from Japan as an already established star, he was not a true rookie.
Betts and Freeman give the Dodgers two MVP contenders, but often when you have two contenders for something you really have none. Freeman won NL Player of the Month in May. Right now, I’d expect Carroll will probably win that award in June. I don’t see Freeman or Betts outvoting Carroll right now while the Dodgers are 4.5 games back of the Diamondbacks in the NL West standings.
The other player who deserves consideration is Luis Arraez who is currently carrying a .400 batting average on June 20th on a Marlins team that is 10 games over .500 for the first time since 2012. Arraez doesn’t hit home runs, and his extra base hits aren’t comparable to the other contenders, but there’s something to be said for hitting .400. While it’s unlikely Arraez maintains a .400 batting average going forward, he’s a legitimate contender as long as he keeps hitting and the Marlins keep winning. If the Marlins threaten the Braves for the NL East and Arraez keeps his batting average close to .400, it will be interesting to see where this number goes in the second half of the season.
NL MVP is still Acuna’s award to lose at this point, but a prolonged slump or injury could allow Carroll to gain more ground and close the gap. If Arraez keeps hitting close to or above .400, he will also warrant consideration.
AL Rookie of the Year
DraftKings:
Josh Jung +180
Masataka Yoshida +265
Gunnar Henderson +400
Hunter Brown +950
Esteury Ruiz +2800
Ryan Noda +5000
FanDuel:
Josh Jung +175
Masataka Yoshida +250
Gunnar Henderson +500
Hunter Brown +1000
Ryan Noda +3500
Esteury Ruiz +5000
Last 30 Days
Jung: 34 hits, 23 runs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs, 17 RBIs, 18 strikeouts/9 walks, .327/.391/.615