While it may feel like the 2020 Major League Baseball season just started, it’s already coming down to the wire. The campaign comes to an end this weekend, and the postseason will get underway next week. They said the 60-game season would feel like a sprint, but that may have been an understatement.
The expanded playoffs will give us a longer look at teams that would have otherwise failed to qualify, so at least there is still plenty of baseball left on the schedule. While the truncated schedule may feel a bit fraudulent to the most ardent fans of the sport, even less baseball is better than no baseball at all.
The league plans to hand out individual awards as usual this season. Some wondered about the potential for the shortened schedule to lead to some weird players taking home the hardware, but the usual candidates have emerged as the odds-on favorites to win the top prizes in both leagues.
BetOnline has released updated MVP odds for both the American League and National League heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Neither league features an overwhelming favorite, but Chicago’s Jose Abreu and Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman are now the favorites to take home the MVP awards in the American and National Leagues, respectively.
Abreu’s MVP To Lose?
| Candidate | Odds at BetOnline |
|---|---|
| Jose Abreu (White Sox) | -150 |
| Jose Ramirez (Indians) | +300 |
| Shane Bieber (Indians) | +400 |
| Nelson Cruz | +600 |
| DJ LeMahieu (Yankees) | +2500 |
| Luke Voit (Yankees) | +2500 |
| Tim Anderson (White Sox) | +2500 |
| Anthony Rendon (Angels) | +3300 |
The White Sox loaded up on talent last winter with the acquisitions of Dallas Keuchel, Yasmani Grandal, and Edwin Encarnacion. Armed with an established cast of veteran pieces with an exciting group of young prospects including Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez, and Yoan Moncada, the White Sox were a trendy World Series pick heading into 2020.
Needless to say, they haven’t disappointed. Chicago’s 34-21 record heading into play Wednesday is the second-best mark in the American League, trailing only Tampa Bay. Jose Abreu has been right in the middle of it all. The veteran first baseman is slashing 332/.379./650 with 19 homers and 56 runs batted in. Abreu’s 2.9 WAR is the fifth-best mark in the majors.
Good morning.
Please enjoy this postseason clinching walk-off home run, courtesy of José Ramirez and Tom Hamilton. pic.twitter.com/gJ9ij8GwJP
— Chief Wahoo (@ChiefWahoo47) September 23, 2020
Jose Ramirez of the Indians leads the big leagues in WAR (3.2), and he slugged the Tribe into the playoffs with a dramatic walk-off homer against Abreu’s White Sox on Tuesday night. Ramirez (.289/.376/.603) has had an excellent season of his own, but the White Sox’ status likely AL Central champs will likely give Abreu the edge. Cleveland is three games behind Chicago in the standings.
Ramirez’ teammate, Shane Bieber, has been baseball’s best pitcher this season, but it takes a truly remarkable campaign for a pitcher to win MVP. Bieber is an understandable minus-money favorite to claim the American league’s Cy Young Award, but pairing it with an MVP trophy this year isn’t happening.
The Yankees’ Luke Voit (+2500) is likely undervalued by oddsmakers. Voit has carried the injury-plagued Yankees to a 32-23 record despite injuries of his own. Voit leads the majors with 21 homers in 51 games, and we know playing for a marquee franchise like the Yankees has never hurt a player’s chances come awards season.
D.J. LeMahieu has been one of the best hitters in the AL once again with an MLB-leading .356 batting average, but Voit’s power exploits likely give him the edge among Yankee candidates.
Ageless wonder Nelson Cruz has powered the Twins again this season, but with the White Sox more likely to take the division, Cruz winning MVP honors seems rather unlikely. Plus, voters rarely vote for designated hitters when it comes to this award, which hurts Cruz’ chances even further.
Abreu at -150 is the safe bet, but Voit at +2500 is an incredible value.
The Safe Bet –Abreu (-105)
The Long Shot –Voit (+2500)
Close Race in NL
| Candidate | Odds at BetOnline |
|---|---|
| Freddie Freeman (Braves) | -125 |
| Mookie Betts (Dodgers) | +150 |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres) | +550 |
| Manny Machado (Padres) | +700 |
| Juan Soto (Nationals) | +1600 |
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the cream of the crop in the National League all year long, but the Dodgers have one of the more loaded rosters in baseball. In addition to the great Mookie Betts, LA has also gotten excellent contributions out of the likes of Corey Seager, Chris Taylor, and Will Smith.
Betts has been his usual excellent self, but the Dodgers’ talent-stacked roster may actually hurt his chances of winning NL MVP for the first time. Betts would be a favorite in most years, but at +150 he’s currently trailing Freddie Freeman.
Freeman has led the Braves to their third-straight NL East title. With a slash line of .347/.463/.643 with 12 homers and 50 runs batted in, the 31-year-old is on the verge of winning his first-career batting title.
Freddie Freeman has reached another level.
(MLB x @GoogleCloud) pic.twitter.com/K4F60GrgmK
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) September 18, 2020
Fernando Tatis Jr. (+550) has been leading this race for most of the year, but recent struggles have caused his MVP candidacy to fall by the wayside. Tatis is hitting just .200 so far in September. While the Padres are set to make their first playoff appearance since 2006, Machado has been a more impactful player. Getting Machado at +700 compared to Tatis at +550 feels like a bargain.
Machado is hitting .314 with a team-high 16 homers compared to a .275 mark with 15 long balls for Tatis. Both have been instrumental in the Padres’ rapid rise to the top of the NL Wild Card picture, but Machado has been the steadier presence in the middle of San Diego’s potent lineup. Tatis started the season with a bang, but Machado makes more sense as an MVP candidate at this point.
Juan Soto will undoubtedly win at least one MVP someday, but not this year. While he has been phenomenal, the Nationals have plummeted to the bottom of the NL East amid a rash of injuries and underperformance from his teammates. I don’t think you’d be crazy to suggest that Juan Soto is the best player in the National League already, but voters don’t reward players playing for last-place teams very often. The regular season will come to a close on Sunday, September 27, so get those bets in while you still can.
The Safe Bet –Freeman (-125)
The Long Shot –Machado (+700)
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith has been a staff writer with GamblingSites.org since early 2017. Taylor is primarily a sports writer, though he will occasionally dabble in other things like politics and entertainment betting. His primary specialties are writing about the NBA, Major League Baseball, NFL and domestic and international soccer. Fringe sports like golf and horse racing aren’t exactly his cup of tea, bu …
