MLB Betting: Why We Are Locking in Our Bets for Ohtani to Win the 2024 AL MVP

The 2024 MLB has its first month in the books, which means now is the time to look at award races on betting sites. The most interesting is the NL MVP, which now features two-time AL MVP Shohei Ohtani. The new Dodger is off to a monster start to the season, but his odds to win this year’s award still offers a ton of value.

Below, we’ll share why our USA Legal Betting experts are locking Ohtani in to win this year’s NL MVP award, giving you the odds and insights you need to bet confidently on them using your favorite betting apps.

Ohtani’s teammate Mookie Betts has been made a heavy favorite for the NL MVP after a strong first start to the month. Below are the latest odds for the top five betting favorites according to bet365 Sportsbook.

Mookie Betts (.377 BA, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 7 SB) currently is the heavy favorite to win the NL MVP thanks to a monster start to the season. He is contributing impressive numbers in multiple categories, which is something only a few of his rivals are even capable of. However, we aren’t buying on the former award winner adding another to his collection in 2024.

One big reason for that are his numbers form the last few seasons. His home run and RBI totals have remained impressive, but his batting average and stolen base totals have been down. He managed to finish with a .307 batting average last season, but only because of a history month he put together late in the season.

The 31-year-old has been a streaky player, which suggests a major course correction will be coming. Last season, Betts posted a .455 batting average with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs in August, but followed it up with a .241 average, one home run, and nine RBIs in September. He put up similar numbers in two other months that year, showing how much his output can fluctuate.

Betts also has a bit of a disadvantage hitting at the top of the LA lineup. While that will lead to impressive run totals, it will limit his ability for RBIs, which are given far more weight with MVP voters.

While we expect Mookie Betts to remain in this race all season, expect to see him fall back down to Earth soon.

Bettors and bookmakers alike weren’t sold on Shohei Ohtani (.336 BA, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 5 SB) being able to win an MVP without pitching. The dual threat won’t be able to take the mound for the Dodgers in 2024, but his bat has more than made up for it.

The two-time AL MVP led the AL in home runs with 44 last seasons, and his is on track to deliver another monster number this year. Unlike when he was across town with the Angels, Ohtani will have far more opportunities to hit with runners on base. We expect that to result in a massive RBI total, automatically making him a major threat to win MVP.

The key for Ohtani will be his ability to hit for average. His average has risen in each of the previous three seasons, finishing at .304 last season.

As impressive as Ohtani has been offensively, we haven’t seen the best of what he can offer. His time with the Angels limited his stats, but now he is part of one of the greatest lineups even assembled. As long as he can keep his average up, he’ll have no problem finishing the season with monster numbers across the board.