Top 10 Picks to Win an MLB MVP in 2021

At the conclusion of every MLB season, two MVPs are crowned in the NL and AL. Most of the time, the players that have the best statistical performance will win the award.

The overwhelming majority of these MVPs are position players, but a pitcher will take the award on rare occasions. Let’s look at the top 10 picks to win an MLB MVP in 2021.

Top National League MVP Picks

Freddie Freeman won the award in 2020 while carrying the Atlanta Braves into the playoffs. He’ll be a notable frontrunner for the 2021 MVP, but he faces some stiff competition.

Mookie Betts of the Dodgers will be ready to defend Los Angeles’ world title and is the early betting favorite. Still, any player in the top six is as good of a candidate as the next.

Last year showed us that the playoffs matter, but you don’t necessarily have to win it all to take MVP honors. Let’s take a look at the top National League contenders for an NL MVP in 2021.

1. Mookie Betts

Mookie led the Dodgers to a World Series title in 2020. It’s not much of a surprise that the pre-season favorite for the 2020 NL MVP is back to make another statement in 2021.





Las Vegas has Mookie at +500. This makes Betts a slight favorite over the next closest competitor.

However, public opinion won’t necessarily win you an MVP. You’ve got to put up the best numbers, and a playoff run definitely helps the cause.

Betts has been in the conversation for years, and he continues to improve. The stacked lineup in LA helps his cause and so does his 2018 AL MVP while playing for the Red Sox.

You can’t pitch around him, and because of the great pitching staff, Betts won’t feel pressure to force runs. The Dodgers have proven themselves the best team in baseball, and Betts will undoubtedly put up an MVP caliber year.

2. Christian Yelich

The Milwaukee Brewers’ star outfielder Christian Yelich is an annual candidate for the NL MVP. In fact, Yeli won the award in 2018. The Brewers aren’t on anybody’s radar to win a World Series in 2021. The Brewers are +3000 to be the world champions. However, Yeli is at +700, putting him right behind Betts as the frontrunners for the NL MVP.

I think Yelich is a fantastic ball player and certainly has the potential for another MVP season. Still, without a World Series performance, Yelich is going to need to put up some awe-inspiring numbers.

Almost every other player on the list has a legitimate shot at a World Series appearance.

3. Ronald Acuna Jr.

Acuna finished 12^th in NL MVP voting for 2020. Luckily, his stock and the Braves are both on the rise.

Acuna batted a very disappointing .250 last season, and he’ll need to put the ball in play if he plans to win the MVP. At +750, Acuna doesn’t offer a ton of value in my eyes. However, he’s easily capable of putting up numbers that sway the voters in his direction.

I don’t even consider Acuna to be the best MVP candidate on his team. That honor goes to Freddie Freeman, who I’ll get to shortly.

Still, I can’t imagine the MVP will be Acuna’s primary concern as we head into the season. He’ll be focused on picking up where the Braves left off last year and vying for a World Series title, the real prize.

4. Cody Bellinger

Cody Bellinger is at +800 to win the NL MVP. He is faced with some fierce competition, including teammate Mookie Betts. Bellinger had an up and down season in 2020, batting .239. That will not win you an MVP on any level.





Regardless, the betting public is favoring him, and Vegas is happy to take action. Sharing a lineup with Mookie Betts will make a run for another World Series much easier.

Unfortunately, it will likely be the dynamic duo that kills Bellinger’s chances at an NL MVP. I wouldn’t count out the 2019 NL MVP just yet, though.

He’s already shown that he has the tools to put together a fantastic season. Also, look for his teammate Corey Seager to be a sleeper to win the 2021 NL MVP.

5. Freddie Freeman

The 2020 NL MVP is inexplicably jumping off at +800. I suppose it’s partially because nobody has repeated as the NL MVP in recent memory.

I won’t be surprised at all if 2021 changes that. Freeman has the power and speed to make a strong case as the back-to-back MVP.

Of course, he’ll have to get it done on the diamond. Freeman and teammate Ronald Acuna Jr. want to get Atlanta back to a World Series.

It’s entirely possible that 2021 may very well be their year, but it’ll take MVP caliber performances from them both.

Bonus Pick: Fernando Tatis Jr.

I had to throw in my favorite player in MLB at the moment. Fernando Tatis Jr. is my darkhorse pick to take the 2021 MLB MVP.

This young man is absolutely electric on the field, and he provides a spark in the dugout that spreads through his team like wildfire.

The Padres are tasked with sharing the division with the Dodgers. Still, I believe this young team can dethrone the defending champions.

If that happens and Tatis puts up an only slightly better year than 2020, I can’t see Tatis not being the 2021 MVP.

He finished 4^th in the voting for 2020, and that was his galvanizing season. Barring a catastrophic injury, Fernando Tatis Jr. will win an NL MVP within five years.

Top American League MVP Picks

The AL MVP landscape is much different than the National League this season. Mike Trout of the Angels has won the award in three of the last seven years.

It’s no surprise that Trout is the odds-on favorite to win another MVP in 2021. However, just how much of a favorite he is may come as a surprise.

Still, he’s got plenty of competition at the top, and I don’t see the voters handing him the MVP merely for showing up.

1. Mike Trout

Trout is such a betting favorite that it’s not even fun to bet on him. After winning the MVP in 2014, 2016, and 2019, Trout is undoubtedly capable of putting up the numbers.





Trout is currently +175, making him the far and away leader in the AL. However, he’s got some legitimate competition.

I am finding much more value in betting the AL MVP race than the NL. We all know how great Trout is, but let’s check the competition.

2. Alex Bregman

Alex Bregman is considerably behind Trout at +1000 in second place. I have watched Bregman a lot over the past two seasons, and he’s incredible.

The only real flaw I’ve found in his game is that he’s a Houston Astro. The Astros are not the same team they were a few years ago, and it seems unlikely that they’ll make it very deep into the playoffs.

Still, we’ve determined that the numbers are the most important. Bregman is completely capable of putting the numbers on the board to keep him in the conversation.

3. Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge has power, lots and lots of power. When the 2021 season begins, Judge will be focused on returning the winning tradition of the Yankees.

In that regard, he should do rather well. The Yankees are poised to win the AL East and make a go of bringing home another World Series title.

Judge’s numbers dipped in 2020, but 2021 will be a very different season than 2020. The crazy year that was 2020 threw many variables at MLB teams. It would be easy for anyone to handle the adversity with some difficulty.

At +1100, Judge is as good as a value as you’ll find betting on the 2021 AL MVP.

4. Jose Abreu

Your defending AL MVP is +1000, and I love those odds. Abreu was explosive in 2020, hitting 19 home runs in only 240 at-bats.





He finished the season batting .317 and had an OPS of .987. Abreu and the White Sox are favorites to win their division, and the young team has plenty of talent for a playoff push.

Abreu may mean more to his team than anyone in the American League this season but Mike Trout with the Angels. If Abreu continues to put up numbers like the ones he did in a shortened 2020 season, he’ll be hard to pass on as the 2021 AL MVP.

5. Shohei Ohtani

Ohtani is a bit of a wildcard in the 2021 AL MVP race. He is at an enticing +2000 and has chops on both sides of the ball.

Ohtani is a new breed in the MLB, the power-hitting pitcher. Ohtani played many seasons in Asia where pitchers are as valuable in the batting order as they are on the mound.

Ohtani’s biggest obstacle will be outshining teammate Mike Trout. Still, if the young star can deliver a Cy Young performance while smashing at the plate, he’ll be hard to ignore.

Ohtani may be the popular darkhorse, but it’s not by chance.

Conclusion

The top 10 picks to win an MLB MVP in 2021 are a diverse group. Some teams seem to have all of the luck and are studded with MVP caliber talent.

Other teams seem relegated to early playoff exits with some of the best ballplayers on the planet. One thing is abundantly clear: the NL race is much tighter. So, your value will lie in picking a player in the AL to knock off Trout.